Maharashtra Assembly suspends SP MLA Abu Azmi over Aurangzeb remarks

Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi has been suspended from the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for the entire duration of the ongoing budget session following his controversial remarks on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

The decision was taken after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil asserted in the House that Azmi’s statements were inappropriate and had undermined the dignity of the Assembly. Speaker Rahul Narwekar approved the motion, leading to his suspension.

Azmi had reportedly stated that Aurangzeb was not a “cruel administrator” and had “built many temples.” He further remarked that the conflict between the Mughal emperor and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was a matter of governance rather than a Hindu-Muslim issue.

Facing severe backlash, Azmi later clarified that his remarks had been misinterpreted. He expressed willingness to withdraw his statement and issue an apology if it had offended anyone. “My words have been twisted. I only repeated what historians and scholars have documented about Aurangzeb. However, if my statement has hurt sentiments, I retract it,” Azmi stated in a video message on social media platform X.

Azmi also alleged that his comments were being politicized, saying, “This issue is being turned into a political controversy, and stalling the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly’s budget session over it is detrimental to the people of the state.”

In addition to his suspension, a zero FIR was filed against Azmi at Naupada Police Station in Thane, which was later transferred to Marine Drive Police Station in Mumbai for further investigation.