NEW DELHI: Amid the demand for the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb from some right-wing outfits, the senior RSS leader Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi dismissed the controversy on Monday, stating that the issue has been raised unnecessarily.
Responding to queries about Raj Thackeray’s comments and the issue of the Mughal emperor’s tomb, Joshi said, ” The topic of Aurangzeb’s tomb has been raised unnecessarily. He died here (in India), so his tomb has been built here. Those who have faith will go.”
“We have Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s adarsh (role model), he had built the tomb of Afzal Khan. This is a symbol of India’s generosity and inclusiveness. The tomb will remain, whoever wants to go will go,” the former RSS general secretary added.
Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray criticised attempts on Sunday to create communal discord over Aurangzeb’s tomb, emphasising that historical events should not be interpreted through religious or caste perspectives.
He cautioned against relying on WhatsApp forwards for historical knowledge.
Thackeray noted that despite Aurangzeb’s attempts to eliminate Shivaji’s ideology, he failed and ultimately died in Maharashtra.
The MNS chief referenced that Afzal Khan, the Bijapur general, was interred near Pratapgadh Fort with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s consent.
Violence erupted in Nagpur earlier this month following claims about a “chadar” with sacred inscriptions being burnt during Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) protests demanding the tomb’s removal.
Earlier this month, RSS chief spokesperson Sunil Ambekar characterised the 17th-century Mughal emperor Aurangzeb as “irrelevant” but added the tomb issue is not irrelevant.
Talking to TOI, Ambekar said, “The glorification of Aurangzeb should stop. The tomb issue is not irrelevant; Aurangzeb is.”
