SP MLA Abu Azmi suspended from Maharashtra assembly for praising Aurangzeb

Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi

Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi was on Wednesday suspended from the Maharashtra legislative assembly's membership till the end of the ongoing budget session over his remarks eulogising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

The budget session of the state legislature will end on March 26. State minister Chandrakant Patil on Wednesday moved the motion of suspension in the House.

Members of the treasury benches said Aurangzeb's praise amounted to insult of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. The motion was passed by a voice vote.

"Azmi's comments praising Aurangzeb and criticising Sambhaji Maharaj do not suit the stature of a member of the assembly and is an insult of the democratic institution of the legislative assembly," Patil said. The motion of suspension was passed by a voice vote.

Azmi, president of the Samajwadi Party's state unit, had said that 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)," claimed the MLA from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency in Mumbai.

Asked about the fight between Aurangzeb and Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Azmi had termed it a political battle. His comments rocked both houses of the state legislature on Tuesday, with members of the ruling side demanding his suspension and that he be booked for treason.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Azmi said his statements were twisted. "Whatever I have said about Aurangzeb is something that has been stated by historians and writers. I have not made any derogatory remarks against Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhaji Maharaj or any national icons. Still, if anyone is hurt by my remarks, then I take back my statements and comments," he said.

The Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) faction protested against Azmi over his remarks on Aurangzeb. Protesters burned Azmi’s effigy, raised slogans, and demanded action against him.