Senior Congress leader and former Rakya Sabha MP Husain Dalwai has ignited major controversy as he declared that the horrific murder of Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj by the Mughal despot Aurangzeb was in accordance with the Manusmriti.”Manusmriti is praised even today, but what does it state about women and Dalits? These things should be clarified but I don’t want to discuss it further because I am a Muslim and people will object,” he claimed while reiterating his earlier comment.
However, when he was asked about his statement, he alleged, “Who ordered the killing of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj? Aurangzaeb. However, the manner in which he was executed is written in the Manusmriti. I am not the only one of this opinion. Many others, including historians, have expressed the same, and that is what I conveyed. Now, you look into what they said. If it is wrong, then so be it. Aurangzeb not only killed Sambhaji but also assassinated his own brother Dara Shikoh. He was of course cruel. That is not even a question.”
Politics over Aurangzeb
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Congress leader Husain Dalwai says: 'Sambhaji Maharaj was killed as per Manusmriti, but the order given was given by Aurangzeb. Method of killing was written in Manusmriti…' pic.twitter.com/97rgoSqQfV
“Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should read Aurangzeb’s history. The way he killed Sambhaji Maharaj was an act of cruelty. However, he did the same to his own brother. He killed Sambhaji Maharaj in a similar manner as he killed Dara Shikoh. However, scholars who adhered to Manusmriti’s teachings dictated Sambhaji’s manner of execution once it was ordered, and he was killed in accordance with those directives. Will this be accepted by Devendra Fadnavis. Ignoring the facts won’t work,” Dalwai previously asked during a visit to Nagpur in the aftermath of anti-Hindu violence there.
However, he later tried to justify his statement and point out that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj built the nation and insisted that Muslims in Maharashtra could never disrespect them.
“Husain Dalwai and others like him are the offspring of Aurangzeb. They have nothing to do with us. If they love Aurangzeb so much, they should take his tomb with them. They have no right to interfere in Manusmriti or in the affairs of other communities. They lack morality. By making such statements, they are deliberately trying to create hatred between different communities,” Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat slammed the Congress veteran’s remarks.
Nagpur witnessed widespread violence over the demand to have Aurangzeb’s grave removed, during which police, including female personnel, were attacked, and stones were thrown at them by Muslim mobs while Hindus were targeted with petrol bombs and other weapons amid bogus rumors of Quran burning and desecration which led to curfew in the area. Many people, including cops, were injured, and vehicles were vandalised.
