Mumbai, March 4 (IANS) Both the Houses of Maharashtra legislature on Tuesday were adjourned for the day after the treasury benches took aggressive postures demanding the registration of a sedition case against Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi for the glorification of Aurangzeb.
The state Assembly was adjourned three times — for 10 minutes, 30 minutes and 15 minutes and later the Speaker Rahul Narwekar announced the adjournment for the day as the ruckus between the ruling and opposition members continued over the Aurangzeb issue.
The state council was also adjourned twice for 30 minutes and again for 15 minutes before the presiding officer announced the adjournment for the day amid noisy scenes.
Immediately after the proceedings were announced in the state Assembly, the ruling MahaYuti members claimed Azmi was a descendent of Aurangzeb, who tortured Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and brutally killed him. BJP legislator Atul Bhatkalkar demanded that Azmi be booked for treason and suspended from the Assembly for the budget session.
Shiv Sena minister Gulabrao Patil also demanded action against Azmi. BJP legislator Sudhir Mungantiwar demanded that Aurangzeb’s grave be demolished. In the wake of the uproar, the Speaker adjourned the House for 10 minutes.
Later, when the House reassembled, Industries Minister Uday Samant reiterated the demand that Azmi be suspended from the House and be booked for treason. Again amid ruckus, the House was adjourned for 30 minutes.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde slammed Azmi reiterated that Azmi be booked under the sedition law and suspended for the House. “Abu Azmi deliberately and repeatedly insults Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. He is anti-national and has no right to sit in this House,” said Shinde.
He further recounted the atrocities committed by Aurangzeb against Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, stating “Aurangzeb tortured Sambhaji Maharaj for 40 days — gouging out his eyes, pulling out his nails, skinning him alive, and rubbing salt on his wounds. He forced him to convert. Praising such a tyrant is an insult to our national heroes and patriots. Sambhaji Maharaj sacrificed his life for the nation, winning 69 battles in nine years, while Aurangzeb destroyed Hindu temples and brutalised women. He even imprisoned his own father and killed 27 of his own relatives. How can anyone glorify such a ruthless oppressor?”
Shiv Sena UBT legislator Bhaskar Jadhav dared the treasury benches to register a sedition case against Azmi citing that the BJP-led government is at the Centre and is also in power in Maharashtra.
Again the House was adjourned for 15 minutes and later it was adjourned for the day. Incidentally, Azmi was conspicuous by his absence in the House. However, he gave a statement to the media in the premises of the Vidhan Bhavan and later left.
In the state council, BJP legislator Praveen Darekar raised the issue demanding action against Azmi. He was later joined by the MahaYuti legislators.
On the other hand, the opposition parties countered by raising the controversial statement made by Marathi actor Rahul Solapurkar on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the threat to historian Indrajit Sawant allegedly given by a Nagpur-based Prashant Koratkar. However, the treasury benches continued their demand for action against Azmi. The presiding officer then adjourned the House for 30 minutes.
After the House was reassembled, the ruckus continued which led to the adjournment of the House for 15 minutes.
The leader of the opposition Ambadas Danve accused the treasury benches of shutting the mikes from the opposition benches. As the House witnessed uproar, the presiding officer later announced the adjournment of the council for the entire day.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena announced that it would stage protests across the state against insult to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and also to condemn Abu Azmi’s statement that Aurangzeb was the best administrator.
–IANS
sj/uk
