Mughal dynasty descendent says Jodha was Akbar's wife

Hyderabad, Feb 20 (UNI) Criticising the controversy over the Bollywood movie 'Jodhaa Akbar, a descendent of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar today claimed that Akbar had indeed married Rajput Princess Jodha Bai and conferred the title of Malaika Maryem Zamanni Begum on her.

In a statement here, Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar's great grandson Y Ziauddin Tucy said ''it is indeed a specimen of sheer gaucher that certain vested interests are unnecessarily creating trouble without judging the realities.'' Emperor Akbar married Jodha Bai to strengthen his forces and to extend his empire's boundaries. The brave Rajputs not only proved their sincerity but they did everything to support the Mughal empire.

Not only Akbar, but Aurangzeb also married a Rajput princess, he claimed while releasing two copies 'of rare paintings of Emperor Akbar and Jodha Bai.' The recently-released 'Jodhaa Akbar,' directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, was mired in controversy after some Rajput organisations protested the depiction of Jodha as Akbar's wife. They claimed Jodha was married to Akbar's son Jehangir.

UNI VA DS KN1621