Akhilesh Yadav backs Abu Azmi amid political controversy
A statement by Maharashtra Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi, praising Aurangzeb as a "great administrator" in the Maharashtra Assembly, has sparked a political storm in Uttar Pradesh.
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday came out in support of the party’s Maharashtra MLA Abu Azmi, who was suspended from the state assembly’s budget session over his remarks on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Terming Azmi’s suspension an “attack on freedom of expression”, Yadav asserted that if such decisions are influenced by ideology, there will be no difference between freedom of expression and subjection.
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“If the basis of suspension starts getting influenced by ideology, then what difference will there be between freedom of expression and subjection? Whether it is our MLAs or MPs, their fearless wisdom is unmatched. If some people think that by ‘suspension’ one can rein them in, then this is their childishness…,” Yadav said in a post on X in Hindi.
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The suspension came after Azmi’s remarks on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb triggered a masisve political uproar. Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar announced his suspension for the entire Budget Session on Wednesday.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil argued that Azmi’s statements were objectionable and had hurt the dignity of the Assembly, leading to the decision.
Azmi had reportedly stated that Aurangzeb was not a “cruel administrator” and had “built many temples.” He further asserted that the war between Aurangzeb and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was about state administration rather than religion.
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