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In a recorded video, Rana reminded the SP leader that the state he represents was once ruled by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj
BJP leader Navneet Rana. (PTI file photo)
BJP leader Navneet Rana on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Asim Azmi, demanding the demolition of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s grave in response to Azmi’s praise for the ruler.
In a recorded video, Rana reminded the SP leader that the state he represents was once ruled by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
“The state in which you are elected to sit in the Assembly for 5 years was ruled by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj… People like you should watch ‘Chhava’ movie to see what Aurangzeb did with our king,” Rana said in the video, criticising the SP leader.
She further urged the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government to take action, drawing parallels between the renaming of Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar and the need to remove Aurangzeb’s grave.
#WATCH | Mumbai | On Samajwadi Party leader and Maharashtra MLA Abu Azmi’s remarks about Aurangzeb, BJP leader Navneet Rana says, “… The state in which you are elected to sit in the Assembly for 5 years was ruled by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji… pic.twitter.com/oKcZPTRL8P— ANI (@ANI) March 4, 2025
“I want to request Maharashtra government that the way Aurangabad’s name was changed and kept after our God Sambhaji Maharaj, Aurangzeb’s grave should also be demolished,” the BJP leader asserted.
Aurangzeb’s grave is located in Khuldabad, in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district.
ALSO READ: Abu Azmi Retracts Statement On Aurangzeb Amid Backlash: ‘Want Matter To Be Rested’
The controversy erupted after Azmi, who is also the president of the Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra unit, had said that he does not view 17th-century Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb as a cruel, tyrannical, or intolerant ruler.
He had also claimed that during Aurangzeb’s reign, India’s territorial borders stretched to Afghanistan and Myanmar, and the country was a global economic powerhouse.
These remarks drew widespread criticism, especially from the BJP, who strongly condemned his views and called for action against him.
In an attempt to calm the situation, Azmi later issued a public apology, stating that he regretted his remarks if they had offended anyone. He clarified that he never intended to insult prominent figures such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj or Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
“I could never imagine insulting words against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Dr BR Ambedkar, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Rajshri Shahuji Maharaj, but Prashant Koratkar, Rahul Solapurkar have spoken against, they have security, why this furore against my statement?” Azmi added.
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Maharashtra, India, India