Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis supported the demand to remove the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb from Khuldabad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. However, he emphasised that this should be done legally, as the previous Congress government had given the tomb’s protection to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

"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 protection during the Congress regime some years back," as per the Chief Minister.

Udayanraje Bhosale, the BJP MP from Satara and a descendant of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, recently called for the demolition of the tomb.

"What is the need... send a JCB machine and raze his grave... he was a thief and lootera (robber)," he stated. "Those who visit Aurangzeb's tomb and pay homage may be his future. They should take that tomb to their own homes, but the glorification of Aurangzeb will not be tolerated anymore," he expressed. He emphasised that "strict action" should be taken against those who make "wrong statements about Shahaji Chhatrapati Maharaj, Rajmata Jijau Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj," which was widely interpreted as a response to Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi’s recent praise of Aurangzeb.

Meanwhile, on March 4, BJP leader Navneet Rana called for the demolition of Aurangzeb's grave. She urged the Maharashtra government to take action, stating, "I want to request Maharashtra government that the way Aurangabad's name was changed and kept after our God Sambhaji Maharaj, Aurangzeb's grave should also be demolished."

Abu Azmi was suspended from the Maharashtra legislative assembly last week for the remainder of the budget session due to his remarks supporting Aurangzeb. Azmi had called the Mughal emperor a great administrator and claimed that history had misrepresented him.

"Aurangzeb built many temples. I do not consider Aurangzeb a cruel administrator. Also, the battle between Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and Aurangzeb was a battle for state administration. That battle was not about Hindus and Muslims anywhere," he further said.

He stated that during Aurangzeb's rule, India's borders reached Afghanistan, and the country's GDP was 24 per cent. "At that time, our GDP was 24 per cent... India was called Sone Ki Chidiya," he claimed.

However, his remarks sparked outrage, especially as emotions ran high following the release of Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava, which portrayed the torture of Sambhaji Maharaj. He faced massive criticism, and police cases were filed against him. Even after he withdrew his statement, Chief Minister Fadnavis asserted that he would be "100 per cent put in jail."

Aurangzeb passed away in 1707 at 87 and was laid to rest in Khuldabad, about 25 kilometres from Aurangabad. His wife's tomb, Bibi ka Maqbara, is located in Aurangabad. In his will, Aurangzeb expressed his desire to be buried in Khuldabad, where his spiritual guide, Sufi saint Syed Zainuddin, is also buried. His tomb is within the saint’s complex, and he specifically requested a simple, open-air burial. Later, at the request of Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India at the time, the Nizam of Hyderabad added a marble enclosure around the tomb.