NEW DELHI: BJP MLA T Raja Singh called for the removal of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Khuldabad, Maharashtra, while expressing his commitment to transform India into a “Hindu Rashtra” during a gathering in Pune on Monday. The demand has sparked reactions from Congress leaders who criticized the stance taken by Hindu organizations.
Singh emphasized that Hindus across Maharashtra and the nation want Aurangzeb’s grave eliminated from the state.
“The Hindus in Maharashtra want that Aurangzeb’s grave should be eliminated from the state. Kab tutegi Aurangzeb ki kabr? I have only resolve now – to make India a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and remove Aurangzeb’s grave,” Singh declared at the gathering.
He further stated, “The Hindus of Maharashtra used to ask earlier, but now the Hindus in the entire nation are asking, ‘Why is Aurangzeb’s grave still here?’ He jailed his father, killed his brothers and destroyed our temples. His grave in Maharashtra is like a poisonous sword.”
Singh voiced support for Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal members who offered to perform karseva to remove the tomb.
“Activists from our Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad made a commendable statement and said, ‘If the government can’t bulldoze, we will carry out the karseva on his (Aurangzeb’s) grave’. I support it,” he added.
Bajrang Dal leader Nitin Mahajan warned that the tomb could face the same fate as Babri Masjid if not removed by the government.
“We know what happens when the Hindu community carries out an agitation concerning its existence, we all saw what happened in Ayodhya to remove the Babri structure… If the government does not remove the grave, then we will do Karseva and do so ourselves,” Mahajan stated.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar responded to these demands, saying, “They (VHP and Bajrang Dal) are left with nothing else to do…They don’t want the people of Maharashtra to live peacefully…They want to slow the development pace of the state…I would like to say to them that Aurangzeb was here for 27 years, and he was not able to do anything to the state; now, what will they get after the removal of his grave.”
Congress National Spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil expressed concern about the tense situation in Maharashtra, stating that law and order have deteriorated in the state.
