‘Aurangzeb can never be a hero for Indian Muslims’: says Devendra Fadnavis

On Friday, 4th August 2023, Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said in the state’s legislative council that flagging Aurangzeb’s posters and inciting communal clashes in the state is part of an experiment and Aurangzeb can never be a hero of the land. He made these remarks while addressing the upper house of the state legislature in his reply to the discussion under rule 259 in the last week of the monsoon session.

Devendra Fadnavis said, “In the house, we took cognizance of some issues related to riots. The fact is that the number of communal clashes has significantly reduced. I have said it even before that an attempt to destabilise the state took place. We have seen so many posters of Aurangzeb, social media status posts, and processions or rallies appearing suddenly in large numbers in multiple districts of the state. This is not a coincidence. This seems a well-thought experiment. Aurangzeb was never a hero of Indian Muslims till now. He can not become a hero. Aurangzeb was nothing but an attacker. Only Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj can be the hero of this land. APJ Abdul Kalam can be a hero, but not Aurangzeb.”

LIVE | Replying to the discussion under rule 259 in Maharashtra Legislative Council.
अंतिम आठवडा प्रस्तावावर विधानपरिषदेत उत्तर..#MonsoonSession https://t.co/7xt4LpVqLg

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) August 4, 2023

Devendra Fadnavis added, “Aurangzeb who tortured Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and brutally killed him by slicing our king into pieces can never be a hero for us. Not even for Indian Muslims. Aurangzeb was from a Turkish Mangol clan. There are only a few lakh people of this race in India and Pakistan put together. Therefore, most of the people (Muslims) here are not the successors of Aurangzeb. Therefore he can never be a hero here. But suddenly some social media posts appeared and they were followed by small riots and scuffles in some places. There is a certain design behind this. We have succeeded in deciphering some parts of it. We have identified a few people behind it. We have also made a few arrests in this regard. I assure you that in any situation, we will not discriminate against anyone based on his religion or caste. But, if anyone glorifies Aurangzeb here, we will not spare him. These are serious incidents and we are keeping a close watch on them.”

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. The Aurangzeb controversy and subsequent violence started in Kolhapur after a WhatsApp status was put up in support of Aurangzeb. Apart from Kolhapur, tension had also erupted in Ahmednagar due to the Muslim fundamentalists supporting Aurangzeb. A large number of Hindu activists took to the streets. There was also a war of words between Owaisi and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the issue.