MUMBAI: After denial of chief minister post, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde was unhappy with the BJP, but on Tuesday, he came in the rescue of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on the floor of the House when the latter was under fire over the Nagpur violence.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde defending Fadnavis said that the Opposition should refrain from making any negative comment against the chief minister. He slammed Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal who compared CM Fadnavis's rule with medieval Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's regime where farmers are dying by suicide, women are being raped and there is no justice for the murder of Massajog Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.
Shinde said Aurangzeb was a cruel ruler who killed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj by cutting his hand, tongue and removing his eyes.
“I want to ask Congress leaders, did Mr Fadnavis remove anyone's tongue and eyes like Aurangzeb? So, this comparison has been done. Ours is the best government for common people therefore Congress should restrain from making any wild comparison,” Shinde said.
Reacting to it, Maharashtra Congress president Sapkal said, he never called the CM as today’s Aurangzeb, but did say that his rules are not different from Aurangzeb. He said BJP leaders are the only ones comparing between Aurangzeb and Fadnavis. “I as Opposition leader; am putting the facts before the people,” he said.
Shinde asserted that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was cruel so his tomb is a stain on Maharashtra, and the ongoing movements to erase it reflect the people's sentiments.
"Aurangzeb came to destroy Maharashtra. A true Muslim of our country would never glorify Aurangzeb, but does the opposition consider him their relative? Those who glorify Aurangzeb should be ashamed. Aurangzeb inflicted countless atrocities on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj to force him into religious conversion. However, Sambhaji Maharaj never bowed down. He sacrificed his life for the nation and religion. Therefore, the stain of Aurangzeb should be erased from Maharashtra, as it is the people's sentiment,” he argued.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesperson Atul Londhe condemned Shinde's comments as it incited violence against state Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal. He called the Nagpur violence a failure of the government and said Devendra Fadnavis has no moral right to continue as home minister.
