'Parakrami Yoddha, Dharmaveer': Abu Azmi Pays Tribute To Sambhaji Maharaj Days After Praising His Killer Aurangzeb

Samajwadi Party leader and MLA from Mumbai's Mankhurd Shivajinagar Assembly seat, Abu Asim Azmi, on Tuesday, put out a social media post paying tribute to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj on his death anniversary.

Sharing a graphical image of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Azmi wrote, "Humble tribute to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the second Chhatrapati of Swarajya, a valiant warrior, and a defender of Dharma, on his martyrdom day."

A few days ago, Abu Azmi was under fire from ruling Mahayuti as well as Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders for praising Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb, who ordered the torture and execution of Sambhaji Maharaj on March 11, 1689.

While responding to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's comparison of Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee to Aurangzeb, the SP leader had said that Aurangzeb was not a "cruel administrator" and "built many temples." He added that the battle between Aurangzeb and the Maratha ruler was for state administration and not about Hindu and Muslim.

After facing criticism from every quarter, he later apologized for his remark, saying his words were twisted and he did not make any derogatory comment about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhaji Maharaj, or any other great man.

However, he was later suspended from the Assembly until the budget session.

On Saturday last week, he wrote to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar requesting him to revoke his suspension.

Azmi said that he was not at fault in this matter.

"The media tried to malign me by misrepresenting my statement, so I humbly request that my suspension be withdrawn as I am not at fault in this matter," he said.