Amid the ongoing controversy over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday drew a comparison to how the United States handled Osama bin Laden’s burial.
He pointed out that the US refused to bury Osama on its land and instead disposed of his body at sea to prevent any glorification.
Eknath Shinde’s remarks came during a heated legislative council debate after he swiped at Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab. Addressing the council on the Nagpur violence, he questioned why Aurangzeb was being glorified, especially when right-wing groups have been demanding the removal of his tomb.
“Who is Aurangzeb? Why should we allow his glorification in our state? He is a blot on our history,” Eknath Shinde stated in his closing remarks.
He recalled how Aurangzeb had given Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje the choice to convert to Islam, but Sambhajiraje refused and was subjected to brutal torture before being killed.
Responding to Parab’s claim that he switched allegiance from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to the BJP due to fear of central agencies, Shinde countered, “Even the US, after killing Osama bin Laden, ensured that he was not buried on their land. They disposed him of into the sea to prevent any glorification.”
Shinde also criticised state Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal for comparing chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s governance to Aurangzeb’s rule.
“Did Fadnavis ever torture anyone the way Aurangzeb did to his enemies?” he asked, directing his question towards Parab, and further inquired whether the chief minister had mistreated him.
