Raja Singh demands Centre to stop spending on Aurangzeb’s tomb

Hyderabad: In a letter addressed to the Union minister of culture and tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh on Saturday, March 15, questioned the maintenance being spent by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Aurangazeb’s tomb located at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district in Maharashtra.

“I strongly believe that not a single rupee of the taxpayer’s money should be spent on maintaining the tomb of a tyrant who caused immense suffering to our ancestors,” Raja Singh’s letter stated.

He asked for year-wise expenditure and details incurred on maintenance, security and other related aspects.

He stressed that the Indian government should consider halting further expenditure on Aurangazeb’s tomb. “It holds no relevance to our cultural heritage and history of valor,” read his letter.

Raja Singh’s letter justified his appeal based on the Mughal ruler’s apparent destruction of several temples and killing Hindu kings.

The issue of Aurangzeb’s tomb has been in the news for some time, mainly after the release of the Hindi movie Chhava, which is based on the life and tragic death of Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

Lately, the Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has favoured the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb. “We all also want the same thing, but you need to do it within the framework of the law, because it is a protected site. The site was put under ASI’s (Archaeological Survey of India) protection during the Congress regime some years back,” he said.

BJP’s Satara MP Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendant of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, has consistently sought the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb.