Maharashtra Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi
Credit: PTI Photo
The suspension from the Maharashtra Assembly of Abu Azmi, a legislator from the Samajwadi Party, for his remarks on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, is wrong and unfair. Azmi had criticised the portrayal of Aurangzeb in Chhaava, a film about the life and times of the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji. He had said that Aurangzeb was “not a cruel administrator” as portrayed in the film. The Mughal emperor, he said, had also “built temples.” Aurangzeb has been a polarising figure. Contradictory opinions about him exist in history, academia, and public perception. Azmi’s comments are not new, and represent a point of view.
Azmi has the right to express his view, however unpopular and unpalatable it may be to others. Freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed by the Constitution, has no meaning if it is used only to air views acceptable to the government, the mainstream, or some sections of the population. In a democracy, the means to counter a view proposed about a historical personage, or anything for that matter, is to debate it, and not to take action against the person who expressed the view. History and historical figures should not be divided in black and white categories. History is common to all people with a past, and it should not be partitioned. But politicians of all shades try to use it to their advantage. That only distorts history, and the distortions and divisions are deepened and sharpened in the age of fast-paced disinformation. Historical truth is not absolute, and history gets rewritten when new facts emerge. It is wrong to judge it with the ideas and prejudices of the present.
Suspension from the Assembly is a disciplinary action aimed at maintaining order, discipline, and respect for parliamentary procedures. It is not known why such an action was taken against a person who expressed an opinion. There was an uproar in the Maharastra Assembly over Azmi’s remarks. Irrational demands were made to charge him with treason and scrap his Assembly membership. The entire House was united in its condemnation of the member. The Congress supported the suspension and the Shiv Sena (UBT) wanted him to be put in jail. All these responses are typical of an era when prejudice and unreason dominate debates even in the highest democratic forum. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has even said that Azmi should be sent to UP so that he can be “treated properly.”