Muslim leaders in Maharashtra are continuing to idolise Islamic Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb. On Monday, 3rd July 2023, Qadir Maulana of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar who recently quit the Nationalist Congress Party and joined the Bharat Rashtra Samiti of KC Rao said that Aurangzeb is his role model. He was speaking at a press conference of the BRS party held at the Subhedari Rest House in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city. On 7th July 2023, Hindu activists in Ahmednagar city of Maharashtra protested against this and tarnished the posters and hoardings of BRS president KC Rao. The Ahmednagar police detained the Hindu activist leading the protest.
Qadir’s statement evoked angry reactions from the state. Tushar Damgude, a Hindu activist and history enthusiast based in Pune, issued a warning regarding the potential consequences of the situation in Maharashtra. He emphasised that the controversy surrounding Qadir Maulana’s statement expressing admiration for Aurangzeb could ignite a strong reaction within the state. In a similar vein, Rahul Bhosale and Vaibhav Navgire of the Bharatiya Janata Party submitted a memorandum to both the Pune Municipal Corporation and the police commissioner to draw attention to the possible threat posed to peace and law and order in Maharashtra as a result of Qadir Maulana’s irresponsible statement.
On 7th July 2023, in Ahilyanagar, Hindu Rashtra Sena district president Sanjay Adole, city president Nikhil Dhangekar, Vishal Kate and other Hindu activists staged a massive protest and blackened the photo on hoardings of KC Rao. The police detained Sanjay Adole. BJP member Rahul Bhosale and Hindu Rashtra Sena district president Sanjay Adole demanded that a case be registered against Qadir Maulana and immediate action should be taken against him. The police released Sanjay Adole after brief detention and questioning.
In recent days, Maharashtra state has experienced heightened tension due to the controversy surrounding the Islamic tyrant Aurangzeb. Unfortunate incidents of violence have occurred in various locations, intensifying the already volatile situation. Additionally, there has been a political blame game surrounding this issue. In such a situation, Qadir Maulana, a prominent figure in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, who recently switched his allegiance from the Nationalist Party to the BRS, expressed his admiration for Aurangzeb.
Addressing a press conference of the BRS party, Qadir Maulana said, “Aurangzeb was a good king. When Aurangzeb was king, he provided space for many temples. You don’t know who you are talking about. You don’t know any history. Aurangzeb never indulged in casteism. In Aurangzeb’s kingdom, the Ganga Jamuna system (syncretic culture) was in place. There was a power struggle then and it continues today. Aurangzeb was a king who ruled undivided India for more than 50 years. So of course I idolise Aurangzeb. He has ruled India and is certainly a role model. When he died, he had only enough money in his pocket for burial. I have never seen a leader like that in the world.”
He added, “The BJP is creating a situation of confusion in the country through mob lynching, through ED, income tax raids, etc. Attempts are being made to suppress other parties by intimidating people by bullying and using power. So people should think about which party is going to do development.”
On 6th July 2023, Qadir Maulana released a video and clarified that his remarks about Aurangzeb are his personal opinions and views. He said that BRS has nothing to do with that opinion, it is not a stand of BRS. He said that there are people with so many different points of view in Maharashtra and in BRS. He also regretted if Hindus were offended by his earlier statement.
In a debate on the Marathi TV news channel Jai Maharashtra News, Tushar Damgude said, “All Indians oppose Aurangzeb. It is not because Aurangzeb was illiterate or he was ugly-looking or anything like that. If you read Aurangzeb’s biography you will know that he calls himself a true servant of Islam. He would proudly say that he imposed a Ziziya tax on Hindus. He would proudly say that he demolished so many temples of Hindus, converted or killed so many Hindus, and allowed his men to rape so many Hindu women and daughters. Unfortunately, none of us can go back in time and change whatever he did. One cannot and should not hold any Muslim in current times responsible or guilty for that. But if someone glorifies this Aurangzeb who had a mentality of demolishing our temples, killing our people, and raping our women and daughters, by keeping status or stories in the social media or by making some statements, then it will not be tolerated in India. If these illicit heirs of Aurangzeb continue to appear in India, it must be remembered that soldiers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will also appear in this country.”
He added, “We will definitely fight these tendencies on the legal front. But I warn that wherever law enforcement agencies fail, we will make these perverts meet the fate of Osama Bin Laden. Aurangzeb cannot ever be a role model to any person, community, or political party. 2.25 lakh people in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar signed a petition to maintain the name of the city as Aurangabad. This is the number in tier 2 or tier 3 place. Imagine the volume of people adoring Aurangzeb in a city like Pune and Mumbai. Who will ponder a thought on this? It is unfortunate that some political parties resort to glorifying Aurangzeb to get Muslim votes and they are sure that they will get their votes in this manner because it is a fact that so many Muslims do idolise that tyrant.”
He further said, “I request the government of Maharashtra to identify such jihadi tendencies and take strict action against them just like a strict action is taken in Germany against those who support or idolise Hitler, consider him a role model, flag his symbols, or support holocausts. I demand that make it a punishable offence if someone flags Aurangzeb’s poster or any such symbol idolising him in Maharashtra at least. This will empower the police to take action against these people. I urge the home minister to instruct the police to take legal action against those who spread enmity between communities by sharing the status, stories, photos, and videos glorifying Aurangzeb. If this does not happen I will not let BRS raise any banner in that area of Pune where I live.”
