Senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionary Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi has termed the controversy over the tomb of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb "unnecessary", claiming that the monument was "a symbol of India's generosity and inclusivity".
"The Aurangzeb issue has been raised unnecessarily. He died here, so his tomb has been built here. Those who have faith will go," Joshi said, adding that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, "whom we see as our ideal, even built Adilshahi general Afzal Khan’s tomb at the base of Pratapgad fort.
"Bharat ki yeh udarta ki, sarvasamaveshakta ka prateek hai (This is a symbol of India's generosity and inclusivity). Woh kabr rahe, aur jisko wahan jaana hai woh jayein (Aurangzeb’s tomb can remain, and those who want to visit it can go there),” the former RSS general secretary added.
The remarks came on a day when Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reiterated his advice against the glorification of Aurangzeb's tomb. He had earlier said that it was unfortunate that the state government had to guard the tomb since it was an ASI-protected structure.
Last month, Nagpur witnessed a communal flare-up after right-wing Hindu groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal undertook a protest demanding that the tomb of the Mughal ruler be removed.
Joshi's comments also come around two weeks after RSS chief spokesperson Sunil Ambekar said that "the tomb issue is not irrelevant, Aurangzeb is". Reports had earlier quoted him as saying in Bengaluru that "Aurangzeb was not relevant today".
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