Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 4 (ANI): After Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi's remarks on Mughal ruler Aurangzeb erupted a row, BJP leader N Ramchander Rao on Tuesday said that it is nothing but distortion of history and action needs to be taken against him.

Rao further stated that Azmi's statement is 'misleading' and is hurting the 'sentiments' of the majority of the Hindus.

Speaking to ANI, BJP leader N Ramchander Rao said, 'Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi, who glorified Aurangzeb and said that the country has developed during his time and that he has built many temples. It is nothing but distortion of history. Everyone knows that in history, how Aurangzeb harassed the Hindu rulers, how he killed them, and how conversions were made and many temples were destroyed. However, now the question is whether Aurangzeb has to be glorified at this point of time...but his statement is definitely misleading and moreover, it is hurting the sentiments of the majority Hindus...action needs to be taken against him.'

Earlier today, the Maharashtra Police registered a case against Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi under several sections of the Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) over his remarks on Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.

The case has been registered against Azmi at Wagle Estate Police Station under BNS sections 299, 302, 356(1), and 356(2) following the complaint from Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske.

In an interaction with the media in the Marine Drive area, SP MLA Abu Azmi had stated that Aurangzeb was a good administrator.

Mhaske arrived at the Wagle Estate Police Station on Monday to file a complaint against SP MP.

Speaking to the media, Mhaske asserted that Abu Azmi has 'no right to stay in India.'

'A sedition case should be filed against Abu Azmi. He has no right to stay in India. Aurangzeb who destroyed thousands of Hindu temples, tortured women, brutally tortured Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, was against the country, he looted our country...our leader Eknath Shinde has demanded this morning itself that a sedition case should be filed against him. Today we have come here to file a sedition case against him,' Mhaske told reporters.

After the uproar over his remarks, Abu Azmi defended his remarks regarding Aurangzeb, saying that the Mughal emperor also destroyed Mosques along with temples.

Refuting the claims that Aurangzeb was 'anti-Hindu', Azmi stated that the emperor had 34 per cent of Hindus in his administration and many of his advisors were Hindus. He further added that there was no need to give a communal angle to the issue.

'If Aurangzeb had destroyed temples, he also destroyed mosques. Had he been against Hindus, 34 per cent of Hindus would not have been with him (in his administration), and his advisors would not have been Hindus. It is true that India was a golden sparrow during his rule. There is no need to give Hindu-Muslim angles to it,' Azmi told ANI.

The SP MLA further said that the struggle for power and property carried out by kings in the past 'was not religious'. Azmi maintained that he hasn't made any remarks against 'Hindu brothers'.

'The kings back then used to struggle for power and property, but it was nothing religious. He (Aurangzeb) ruled for 52 years, and if he was really converting Hindus into Muslims - imagine the number of Hindus that would have converted. In the 1857 rebellion, when Mangal Pandey started the fight, it was Bahadur Shah Zafar who supported him,' Azmi said.

'This country will run by the constitution, and I haven't said a word against Hindu brothers,' he added. (ANI)