‘Aurangzeb was a kind-hearted king..’ Bareilly’s Maulana countered on CM Yogi’s statement.

Ram Vilas Saxena/Bareilly. Bareilly’s famous Muslim religious leader Maulana Shahabuddin Rizvi Barelvi has expressed strong objection to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s statement calling Mughal rulers and Aurangzeb cruel. Maulana termed this as “completely against historical reality” and described Aurangzeb and the Mughal emperors as kind and compassionate rulers.

Maulana Shahabuddin Rizvi said, “The Mughal emperors and especially Aurangzeb never harmed the country. They were very kind and worshipers of humanity. They had a huge contribution in establishing unity and brotherhood between Hindus and Muslims. They had made Waqf of land and property for the maintenance of temples.”

The British spoiled history

Maulana further claimed that the British deliberately distorted the history written and taught, which tarnished the image of the Mughal rulers. He said that Aurangzeb and other Mughal rulers never discriminated against any religion, but took everyone along. He said that today we are fighting among ourselves. There was a time when we fought together in the freedom movement of 1857, but the British created such a divide that we are fighting even today. He further said that no Mughal ruler made Hindu-Muslim fight. What do the Mughal rulers have to do with today’s Muslims? This is politics of division.

Maulana against CM Yogi

It is noteworthy that Maulana Shahabuddin Rizvi is one of the prominent Sunni religious leaders of Bareilly and often gives outspoken opinions on religious-social issues. With this statement of his, once again the ongoing debate regarding history and Mughal rulers has gained momentum. At the same time, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been calling the Mughal rulers and especially Aurangzeb in his speeches for a long time as invaders and cruel. This statement of Maulana is being considered as directly against the stand of the Chief Minister.