Lucknow, March 22 -- Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Saturday targeted Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav over party leader Abu Azmi's remarks praising Aurangzeb.

"SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav says that he respects Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj even more than BJP. Then how come Abu Azmi, the man who praised Aurangzeb, is still in their party? This means that whatever Abu Azmi said, he said it with Akhilesh Yadav's consent.," he said.

Earlier, Abu 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.

After Azmi's statement...