Mumbai: Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi was suspended from the Maharashtra assembly Wednesday, till the end of the ongoing budget session.
This follows his remarks praising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb which triggered the demand for his suspension from MLAs of both the ruling and opposition parties.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had on Tuesday assured that action would be taken against Azmi, and submitted the proposal for his suspension Wednesday morning.
Taking to X, Azmi said, “My words have been twisted. I only stated what historians and writers have claimed about Aurangzeb Rahmatullah Ali.”
In the same video message posted on X, Azmi reiterated that he had not made any derogatory remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhaji Maharaj, or any other respected figures in Maharashtra. However, he acknowledged the outrage and expressed regret, saying, “If my statement has hurt anyone, I take back my words and apologize.”
महाराष्ट्र विधानसभा द्वारा बजट सत्र के लिए मेरा निलंबन सिर्फ मेरे साथ नहीं बल्कि जिनका मैं प्रतिनिधित्व करता हूँ उन लाखों लोगों के साथ नाइंसाफी है, ये मेरे साथ ज़्यादती है।
मैं महाराष्ट्र सरकार से पूछना चाहूंगा क्या राज्य में दो तरह के कानून चलते है? अबू आसिम आज़मी के लिए अलग… pic.twitter.com/Qchx6Yfc1N
— Abu Asim Azmi (@abuasimazmi) March 5, 2025
Saying that this was unfair to the people he represents, Azmi said, “I want to ask the government whether there are two different laws in the state. One for Abu Azmi and another for Rahul Solapurkar and Prashant Koratkar?”
Actor Rahul Solapurkar, popular for his portrayal of Shahu Maharaj in the Marathi serial Rajashri Shahu, in a podcast in February made some remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji’s escape from Agra fort where he claimed that Shivaji Maharaj bribed Aurangzeb’s officials to escape.
Prashant Koratkar, a journalist, on the other hand allegedly verbally abused historian Indrajit Sawant and made controversial remarks about both Shivaji and Sambhaji Maharaj.
Opposition parties supported Azmi’s suspension, senior Shiv Sena UBT leader Bhaskar Jadhav, but told the media, “Although we support his suspension, at the same time, action should be taken against people like Prashant Koratkar and Rahul Solapurkar too. We wanted to speak about them in the House, but were not given a chance.”
Azmi’s comments evoked a strong response from UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath. He asked the SP to bring Azmi to UP and said, “Uttar Pradesh knows well how to take care of such people.”
“You must decide your position (on the Abu Azmi row). Make an official announcement and expel that wretched person from your party. Then send him to Uttar Pradesh and we will take care of the rest,” Adityanath said in the Legislative Council.
Azmi had earlier said that some things depicted in the Hindi movie Chhavva, based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, were wrong. He also said that Aurangzeb, in fact, was a good administrator.
“Wrong history is being shown in Chaava... Aurangzeb built several temples. I do not think he was a cruel administrator,” Azmi had said. He also claimed that India was referred to as “sone ki chidiya” (golden bird) during Aurangzeb’s tenure.
Many controversies
Abu Azmi was made head of Maharashtra Samajwadi Party in 1995 and remains the only prominent face of the party in the state. He holds considerable clout in Mumbai’s Mankhurd area from where he has been an MLA since 2009.
This is not the first time Azmi has got into controversy. In 1993 he was arrested in connection to 1993 Mumbai blasts and his links to gangster Dawood Ibrahim. He remained in jail till 1995 when he was ordered to be released by the Supreme Court.
In 2006, he was accused of instigating a mob in Bhiwandi, which allegedly led to the lynching of two policemen.
In 2009, when Azmi took oath of office in the Assembly in Hindi, 13 MNS MLAs took objection and attacked him.
In fact, on Tuesday Abu Azmi’s son and entrepreneur Farhan Azmi was booked by Goa police following an altercation with local residents over rash driving.
(Edited by Sudha V)
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