Nagpur: The controversy over Aurangzeb, triggered by Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi’s comment earlier this month that the Mughal emperor was a “good administrator”, rocked Maharashtra politics and the legislative assembly.
Amid the demand from some politicians and right-wing outfits to remove Aurangzeb’s tomb, senior RSS leader Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi sought to put a lid on the raging row.
Joshi said on Monday that the topic has been raised unnecessarily, adding that whoever has faith will visit the structure, located in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
“The topic of Aurangzeb’s tomb has been raised unnecessarily. He died here (in India), so his tomb has been built here. Those who have faith will go,” Joshi said on the sidelines of a programme here.
“We have Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s adarsh (role model). He built the tomb of Afzal Khan. This is a symbol of India’s generosity and inclusiveness. The tomb will remain, whoever wants to go will go,” the former RSS general secretary opined.
Earlier this month, RSS chief spokesperson Sunil Ambekar described Aurangzeb as “irrelevant.”
Asked whether the 17th-century Mughal emperor’s tomb should be relocated and whether he is relevant today, Ambedkar replied, “No, it’s not relevant.”
On Monday, Maharashtra Navanirman Sena chief (MNS) Raj Thackeray slammed attempts to incite communal tension over Aurangazeb’s tomb and said history shouldn’t be viewed from the prism of caste and religion.
Urging people not to rely on WhatsApp forwards for historical information, Uddhav Thackeray’s cousin Raj said the Mughal ruler wanted to “kill a thought called Shivaji” but failed and died in Maharashtra.
Nagpur witnessed violence earlier in March following rumours of a ‘chadar’ with holy inscriptions being burnt during Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)-led protests seeking the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb.
