Aurangzeb Tomb Controversy: Shinde Compares to US Denying Osama's Burial to Avoid Glorification

In the backdrop of the raging controversy over the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday made a comparison with the US disposing of the body of Osama bin Laden, asserting that the US had not given permission for the burial of bin Laden on its land and dumped his body into the sea in order to deny any kind of glorification.

This observation was made during a fiery argument in the legislative council, after Shinde's stinging comments directed towards Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab.

While speaking to the council about the violence in Nagpur recently, Shinde expressed concerns over the glorification of Aurangzeb, whose mausoleum has become a point of contention with right-wing groups demanding its demolition. "Who is Aurangzeb? Why are we permitting his glorification in our state? He is a blot on our history," Shinde said in his valedictory address.

Shinde also narrated the harsh handling of Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje at the hands of Aurangzeb, focusing on how Sambhajiraje had been presented an option to be converted to Islam by the Mughal emperor, which the king refused and was subsequently tortured and killed.

Reacting to Parab's allegation that Shinde had changed sides from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to the BJP due to fear of central agencies, Shinde shot back, "Even the US, after they killed Osama bin Laden, made sure he was not buried on their soil. They dumped him into the sea so there would be no glorification."

Shinde also lashed out at state Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal's equating Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' rule with Aurangzeb. "Did Fadnavis ever torture anyone like Aurangzeb tortured his adversaries?" Shinde asked, turning to Parab and inquiring if the chief minister had ever tortured him.

The comment evoked Parab to claim a right of reply, but Council chairperson Ram Shinde did not give him an opportunity to speak, and his microphone was kept muted. Parab, along with Leader of the Opposition Ambadas Danve, Sachin Parab, and other lawmakers, rose in protest, requesting an opportunity to reply to Shinde's comments, but were not given a chance to speak.

Shinde went on to continue his tirade, saying, "Anil Parab must remember that whatever I have done, I have done in the open, and I did it to rescue Shiv Sena from people who feel sympathetic towards Aurangzeb (Congress). It was the Congress that gave protection to Aurangzeb's mausoleum."

This is amid various agencies, such as the Enforcement Directorate, following a money laundering case involving a resort owned by Parab's relative in Dapoli, with Parab himself being questioned repeatedly.

Earlier, Shinde had told the Upper House that VHP and Bajrang Dal activists had demonstrated in Nagpur by burning an effigy of Aurangzeb, resulting in unrest after a rumor circulated that religious scriptures were inscribed on the effigy, triggering further tensions and violence.