Yogi Adityanath criticizes SP's praise for Aurangzeb

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party, accusing it of glorifying Mughal ruler Aurangzeb while disregarding India's cultural and spiritual heritage.

"It is unfortunate that the Samajwadi Party considers Aurangzeb as its ideal. Even Aurangzeb's father, Shah Jahan, wrote in his autobiography that he wished no one would ever have such a wretched son," Adityanath said in the Legislative Council.

His scathing attack comes amid an ongoing controversy in Maharashtra over Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi's remarks.

Azmi was on Wednesday suspended from the Maharashtra Assembly till the end of the ongoing Budget Session over his remarks eulogising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

The chief minister criticized the Samajwadi Party's deviation from the principles of socialist leader Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, who upheld India's cultural unity despite being a political rival of the Congress.

"I want to tell my friends in the Samajwadi Party --even if you do not take pride in India's heritage, at least follow the ideology of the leader whose name you use for political gain," Adityanath said.

Quoting Dr Lohia, Adityanath added, "Lohia believed that India stands on three pillars -- Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva. As long as Indians revere these great figures, no power in the world can stop India from remaining India."

The chief minister alleged the Samajwadi Party's purpose now seems to be to oppose India's cultural traditions.

"Today the Samajwadi Party has strayed so far from Lohia's ideology that attacking the legacies of Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva has become its primary goal," he said.

Referring to Aurangzeb's reign, the chief minister said, "Aurangzeb imprisoned his own father Shah Jahan in Agra Fort, depriving him of water and left him to suffer."

"If the Samajwadi Party feels proud of Aurangzeb, they should visit a library in Patna and read Shah Jahan's autobiography, where he laments that even a Hindu son is better than Aurangzeb because a Hindu serves his elderly parents in their lifetime, performs their last rites with devotion, and offers water for their souls. Meanwhile, Aurangzeb left his own father to die of thirst," Adityanath said.

"No civilized Muslim today names their son Aurangzeb because they know that a person's deeds define them. 'Yatha naam tatha kaam' (as the name, so the deed)," he added.

Demanding the Samajwadi Party to clarify its position, the chief minister asked why it venerates a ruler, who imposed jizya tax, persecuted non-Muslims and attempted to Islamize India.

"The SP must answer whether it truly considers a tyrant like Aurangzeb its role model, a ruler who attacked India's faith and traditions," Adityanath said.