Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Ambedkar Saturday said that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb ruled for 50 years and instead of abusing him people should be aware of the history.Ambedkar was speaking to reporters after visiting the Aurangzeb memorial at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (which was earlier called Aurangabad and rechristened recently).
The VBA leader’s visit comes amid instances of arrests and clashes across the state over social posts glorifying Aurangzeb.After offering floral tributes at the Mughal ruler’s grave, Ambedkar told mediapersons, “What’s wrong in visiting the Aurangzeb memorial. He was a Mughul emperor who ruled here for 50 years. Can we wipe out history?”“Instead of abusing Aurangzeb we should reflect on why he ruled here. What were the reasons… We should be mindful of our past. And instead of spreading hatred let us reconcile to facts and look at it as historical past,” he added.Ambedkar also wondered why such a hue and cry was raised over some individuals posting pictures of Aurangzeb on social media.