Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday defended his party’s Rajya Sabha MP Ramjilal Suman over his controversial remarks in Parliament, where he called Rajput ruler Rana Sanga a traitor. Yadav dismissed the criticism, arguing that if BJP leaders can selectively revisit history to discuss figures like Aurangzeb. Suman stated that Indian Muslims do not consider Babur their idol but follow Prophet Muhammad and the Sufi tradition. He then questioned why Hindus do not criticise Rana Sanga, claiming that it was the Mewar ruler who had invited Babur to India to defeat Ibrahim Lodi.
The ruling party slammed Yadav for defending Suman, calling his stance an insult to the Hindu community and accusing the Samajwadi Party of indulging in appeasement politics. BJP leader Amit Malviya said, Akhilesh Yadav, who indulges in appeasement, is supporting his MP Ramjilal Suman for calling the great warrior Rana Sanga a traitor. This is an insult not only to the Rajput community but to the entire Hindu community.
Amid the uproar, Yadav lashed out at the BJP, accusing it of selectively digging up historical events to suit its political narrative. “Everyone is flipping through the pages of history. Ask BJP leaders which pages they are turning. They want to talk about Aurangzeb,” he told reporters after paying tribute to socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia on his birth anniversary.
Drawing a parallel to historical persecution, he referred to Galileo’s punishment for asserting that the Earth revolves around the Sun. “Galileo was punished for his scientific assertion, and centuries later, the Church apologised for its mistake. If the BJP respects Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, will they apologise for the fact that he was anointed with a left foot toe?” he added.
