Expressing strong support for Abu Asim, Bihar AIMIM president and MLA, Akhtarul Iman, condemned Asim’s suspension from the Assembly over comments on the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Iman defended Aurangzeb, calling him a “noble emperor” and highlighted his contributions stating “Aurangzeb was a noble emperor. He earned a livelihood by stitching caps. He didn’t use taxpayers’ money on himself. He was buried here. He didn’t loot and leave like the British but he served this country. He unified India, stretching it from Afghanistan to Burma and made it ‘Akhand Bharat. He treated both temples and mosques equally,” he said.
Abu Asim drew widespread criticism on his remark that Aurangzeb was not a “cruel but able administrator” and “built many temples, and the battle between the Mughal emperor and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was for state administration and not about Hindu and Muslim.