'Those Who Praise Aurangzeb Will Be Sent To Graveyard': BJP MLA's Controversial Remark Amid Row

BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma said that Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh and Maharana Pratap were great and will always be remembered and studied.

File photo of BJP MLA from Madhya Pradesh Rameshwar Sharma.

Source : X/Rameshwar Sharma

The ongoing controversy over Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi’s praise for Aurangzeb shows no signs of waning, as criticism continues to pour in from across party lines.

While the ruling Mahayuti in Maharashtra has demanded that the SP MLA booked for treason and jailed for his remarks, a BJP MLA has made a controversial statement.

BJP MLA from Madhya Pradesh Rameshwar Sharma said that those who praise Mughal ruler Aurangzeb will be sent to graveyard.

Speaking during an event in Bhopal, Rameshwar Sharma said, "A fool was trying to give us a lesson. He said Aurangzeb was great. Aurangzeb, Babur, Humayun and Akbar were all looters. Chhatrapati Shivaji was great."

He went on to say, "We will make an India were those who praise Aurangzeb will be sent to the graveyard."

जो औरंगजेब की तारीफ करेगा, उसे कब्रिस्तान पहुंचा देंगे...#RameshwarSharma #RsSpeaks pic.twitter.com/rOsLHdtNdT

— Rameshwar Sharma (@rameshwar4111) March 6, 2025

The MLA further said that Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh and Maharana Pratap were great and will always be remembered and studied.

"It was Aurangzeb who had Guru Gobind Singh’s two sons entombed alive. How can such an invader be considered great? It was Aurangzeb who forced lakhs of Hindus to renounce their sacred thread (janeu). He was a looter—how can he be great? The truly great ones were Chhatrapati Shivaji, Maharana Pratap, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and Guru Gobind Singh, who sacrificed everything to protect their faith but never bowed before these Mughal invaders," Sharma added.

The comments come even as leaders from both the ruling party and the opposition hit out at the Samajwadi Party MLA for his comments on Aurangzeb. Azmi defended Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, stating that he was "not a cruel ruler." 

The MLA said that during Aurangzeb's reign, India's border reached Afghanistan and Burma (Myanmar). "Our GDP accounted for 24 per cent (of the world GDP) and India was called a golden sparrow (during his regime)," the SP MLA claimed. Amid the uproar, Azmi has taken back his statements and said his remarks were not meant to insult Chhatrapati Shivaji.

While, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Azmi will be 100 per cent put in jail, Deputy CM Shinde said that he should be charged for "treason".