Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi will be put in jail over his remarks praising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Azmi was suspended from the Maharashtra assembly till the ongoing budget session ends on March 26.
Members of the treasury benches asserted in the assembly that Aurangzeb’s praise amounted to an insult of the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his warrior-son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj,
The Mumbai police have registered a case against Azmi under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting religion or religious beliefs), 302 (Uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) and 356(1) & 356(2) (defamation).
Azmi protested against the suspension, saying he has been punished despite retracting his controversial remarks.
Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray also asserted no one should dare speak against national icons. “He (Azmi) should be permanently suspended (from assembly),” Thackeray demanded.
BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi termed the remarks an “insult to the entire Indian society”. He alleged that the INDIA bloc constituents are engaged in a “cut-throat competition” with each other to prove themselves anti-Hindu for minority votes.
What Did Azmi Say?
Azmi had said during Aurangzeb’s reign, India’s border reached Afghanistan and Burma (Myanmar).
“Our GDP accounted for 24 per cent (of the world GDP) and India was called a golden sparrow (during his regime),” he claimed.
When asked about the fight between Aurangzeb and Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Azmi had termed it a political battle.
The remarks rocked the Maharashtra legislature on Tuesday and Wednesday as the ruling Mahayuti members sought his suspension and accused him of treason. Azmi later retracted his statements, saying his statements were twisted.
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