Mumbai: After being suspended for the entire duration of the ongoing Maharashtra budget session over his remarks on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi called the suspension “arbitrary” and alleged threats to his life and his family.

Azmi took to the social media platform X to express his concerns, stating, “My suspension is arbitrary on the part of the government, there is a threat to my life and that of my family. Two laws are in force in Maharashtra, if democracy has ended in Maharashtra then the government can do anything to the public and the elected representatives of the public.”

Ahead of this he has expressed his disappointment over the suspension and had said, “To ensure that the House functions, I spoke about withdrawing my statement. I did not say anything wrong. Still, there is a controversy and proceedings of the House are being stalled. To ensure that the House functions and some work is done during Budget Session…I withdrew the statement that I made outside the Assembly, not in the House. Still, I have been suspended.”

Azmi also received the support of Samjawadi Party Chief and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, who claimed that the suspension violated freedom of expression.

“If the basis of suspension starts getting influenced by ideology, then what difference will there be between freedom of expression and subjection? Whether it is our MLAs or MPs, their fearless wisdom is unmatched. If some people think that by ‘suspension’ one can rein them in, then this is the childishness of their negative thinking,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar suspended Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi for the entire duration of the ongoing budget session on Wednesday over his remarks on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

A proposal was brought in the Maharashtra Assembly today against Azmi’s remarks.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil said in the House that Azmi’s objectionable statement had hurt the dignity of the House, leading to the proposal to suspend his membership for this session, which the Speaker passed. Azmi had reportedly said that Aurangzeb was not a “cruel administrator” and “built many temples”.

He added that the battle between the Mughal emperor and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was for state administration and not about Hindu and Muslim.

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena-NCP bickering reached its nadir when none of the Shinde-led Sena leaders attended the special screening of Chhava organised by Aditi Tatkare, the minister for women and child development.

The two constituents of the three-party Mahayuti are currently locked in a bitter struggle over the district guardian ministership of Raigad, which was allocated to Aditi Tatkare, daughter of the NCP state unit chief Sunil Tatkare, only to be put on hold.

She arranged the screening of Chhava at Inox Multiplex at Nariman Point, a stone’s throw from the Vidhan Bhavan, and yet no one came.

Mumbai: After Raigad and Nashik, another district has become entangled in the ongoing tussle over the allocation of district guardian ministers among the three partners in the Mahayuti government.

Minister Hasan Mushrif Steps Down From His Role As Washim’s Guardian Minister

Senior NCP minister Hasan Mushrif has stepped down from his role as the guardian minister for Washim, a district in the Vidarbha region. Mushrif, who hails from Kolhapur, has requested his party leader, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, to reassign Washim to another minister from the party.

A source close to him revealed that he has struggled to focus on the district’s affairs. The minister was reportedly reluctant to take on the responsibility when the list of district guardian ministers was announced in January. He had hoped to be assigned Kolhapur, but the Shiv Sena secured it for Public Health Minister Prakash Abitkar instead.

While Mushrif attended the Republic Day program shortly after the announcement, he soon distanced himself from Washim’s administration, sources said.

Meanwhile, the state government has yet to resolve the disputes over Raigad and Nashik, where appointments remain stalled due to objections from the Shiv Sena. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction has insisted on retaining both districts for its ministers. The BJP is pushing for Nashik, while the NCP remains firm on its claim over Raigad.

Addressing media queries on Sunday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that he, along with both Deputy CMs, was acting as the guardian minister for Raigad. Reports suggest that the Nashik issue has been settled, with the BJP likely to retain Girish Mahajan in the role, though no formal announcement has been made yet.