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Amidst the uproar over his remarks on Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi on Tuesday said that his words had been twisted and that he was ready to take back his statement and apologise if sentiments were hurt.
"My words have been twisted. I have said what historians and writers have claimed about Aurangzeb Rahmatullah Ali," Azmi said "I have not made any derogatory comment about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhaji Maharaj or any other great men - but still if anyone has been hurt by my statement, then I take back my words, my statement," Azmi said in a video he posted on his X platform. The MLA and Samajwadi Party chief on Maharashtra also said that the issue was being politicised. "The issue is being made a political issue, and I think that closing the budget session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly because of this is causing harm to the people of Maharashtra," Azmi said. Earlier today, a zero FIR was registered against Azmi in the Naupada Police Station of Thane and was transferred to Marine Drive police station in Mumbai in connection with his remarks on Aurangzeb. The FIR was lodged based on a complaint lodged by Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske.Azmi in his comments at an interaction with mediapersons in the Marine Drive area had stated that Aurangzeb was a good administrator. After the uproar over his remarks, Azmi defended his remarks regarding Aurangzeb, saying that the Mughal Emperor also destroyed mosques along with temples. Refuting the claims that Aurangzeb was "anti-Hindu", Azmi stated that the emperor had 34 per cent of Hindus in his administration and many of his advisors were Hindus. He further added that there was no need to give a communal angle to the issue. "If Aurangzeb had destroyed temples, he also destroyed mosques. Had he been against Hindus, 34 per cent of Hindus would not have been with him (in his administration), and his advisors would not have been Hindus. It is true that India was a golden sparrow during his rule. There is no need to give Hindu-Muslim angles to it," Azmi told ANI earlier. The SP MLA further said that the struggle for power and property carried out by kings in the past "was not religious". Azmi maintained that he hasn't made any remarks against "Hindu brothers". The BJP latched on to Azmi's remarks and questioned INDIA block members as to why they were trying to glorify Aurangzeb? "I wish to ask the INDIA bloc leaders why Aurangzeb, who gave orders on April 6, 1669, to break temples, is being glorified by Congress. Are they not trying to demean Sambhaji Maharaj's sacrifice and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's legacy? The leader who killed his own brothers and kept his father in jail, and tortured Sikh gurus glorifying such leader for vote bank politics is insane," he added. He further asked why the SP and Congress were trying to spread hatred in the society. (ANI)
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