LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday asked the Samajwadi Party to take a stand on the controversial remarks made by one of its leaders and Maharashtra MLA Abu Azmi, demanding that the party must expel him for glorifying Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.
Adityanath also asked the Samajwadi Party (SP) to bring Azmi to UP and said, "Uttar Pradesh knows well how to take care of such people".
"You (SP) must decide your position (on the Abu Azmi row)," Adityanath said in the Legislative Council, following which the Samajwadi Party members started making remarks.
Hitting back, he said, "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."
"Escalating his attack, Adityanath said, "A person who feels ashamed of the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj but considers Aurangzeb his hero does he even have the right to live in India?" The chief minister further accused the Samajwadi Party of double standards.
"On one hand, you criticize the Kumbh and on the other, you glorify Aurangzeb -- a ruthless, fanatical ruler who destroyed temples and crushed India's faith.
What is stopping you from taking action against this leader?" he asked.
Adityanath insisted that the Samajwadi Party must publicly condemn the statements and expel the leader responsible.
"Why is the Samajwadi Party not disowning him? SP should immediately denounce his remarks and remove him from the party," he asserted.
Issuing a direct challenge, Adityanath said, "Either call him to a public gathering and make him clarify or send him to Uttar Pradesh. We do not take long to deal with such people here."
The chief minister slammed the Samajwadi Party, accusing it of glorifying Aurangzeb while disregarding India's cultural and spiritual heritage.
"It is unfortunate that the Samajwadi Party considers Aurangzeb as its ideal. Even Aurangzeb's father, Shah Jahan, wrote in his autobiography that he wished no one would ever have such a wretched son," Adityanath said in the Legislative Council.
His scathing attack comes amid an ongoing controversy in Maharashtra over Azmi's remarks.
Azmi was on Wednesday suspended from the Maharashtra Assembly till the end of the ongoing Budget Session over his remarks eulogising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
The chief minister criticized the Samajwadi Party's deviation from the principles of socialist leader Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, who upheld India's cultural unity despite being a political rival of the Congress.
"I want to tell my friends in the Samajwadi Party --even if you do not take pride in India's heritage, at least follow the ideology of the leader whose name you use for political gain," Adityanath said.
Quoting Dr Lohia, Adityanath added, "Lohia believed that India stands on three pillars -- Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva. As long as Indians revere these great figures, no power in the world can stop India from remaining India."
The chief minister alleged the Samajwadi Party's purpose now seems to be to oppose India's cultural traditions.
"Today the Samajwadi Party has strayed so far from Lohia's ideology that attacking the legacies of Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva has become its primary goal," he said.
Referring to Aurangzeb's reign, the chief minister said, "Aurangzeb imprisoned his own father Shah Jahan in Agra Fort, depriving him of water and left him to suffer.
"If the Samajwadi Party feels proud of Aurangzeb, they should visit a library in Patna and read Shah Jahan's autobiography where he laments that even a Hindu son is better than Aurangzeb because a Hindu serves his elderly parents in their lifetime, performs their last rites with devotion, and offers water for their souls. Meanwhile, Aurangzeb left his own father to die of thirst," Adityanath said.
"No civilized Muslim today names their son Aurangzeb because they know that a person's deeds define them.'Yatha naam tatha kaam' (as the name, so the deed)," he added.
Demanding the Samajwadi Party to clarify its position, the chief minister asked why it venerates a ruler, who imposed jizya tax, persecuted non-Muslims and attempted to Islamize India.
"The SP must answer whether it truly considers a tyrant like Aurangzeb its role model, a ruler who attacked India's faith and traditions," Adityanath said.
Suspended despite withdrawing my remark: SP MLA Abu Azmi
SP MLA Abu Asim Azmi said the action against him was taken despite him retracting his remark.
In a video statement released by his office, Azmi asserted he had not said anything wrong, but retracted the remark, which he made outside the assembly, to ensure the House functions.
'Still, I was suspended,' he said.
Earlier in the day, the state assembly passed a motion unanimously by a voice vote to suspend Azmi from the House till the end of the budget session.
Members of the treasury benches said Azmi's remark eulogising Aurangzeb was a insult of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
The budget session of the state legislature will end on March 26.
Azmi, president of the Samajwadi Party's state unit, had said that during Aurangzeb's reign, India's border reached Afghanistan and Burma (Myanmar).
"Our GDP accounted for 24 per cent (of the world GDP) and India was called a golden sparrow (during his regime)," claimed the MLA from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency in Mumbai.
Asked about the fight between Aurangzeb and Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Azmi had termed it a political battle.
His comments rocked both houses of the state legislature on Tuesday, with members of the ruling side demanding his suspension and that he be booked for treason.
After the outrage over his comments, Azmi in a post on X on Tuesday said his statements were twisted.
"Whatever I have said about Aurangzeb is something that has been stated by historians and writers. I have not made any derogatory remarks against Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhaji Maharaj or any national icons. Still, if anyone is hurt by my remarks, then I take back my statements and comments," he said.
Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena head Eknath Shinde on Tuesday led the attack on Azmi both in the legislative council and assembly.
"Azmi is purposely insulting Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj. Sambhaji's Maharaj's bravery and Aurangzeb's cruelty will give goosebumps to people," Shinde had said.
The Mughal emperor not only killed Hindus but also people from other religions, he had said.
Shinde dubbed Azmi a "traitor" and said he had no right to sit in the House.
The recent Hindi film, 'Chhaava', has documented the bravery and sacrifice of Sambhaji Maharaj.
"See the torture Sambhaji Maharaj endured for 40 days. Aurangzeb asked him to change his religion," Shinde said on Tuesday.
