‘Taj Mahal a blot, built by traitors’

The world-renowned Taj Mahal has been dragged into a row after it was left out of the Uttar Pradesh tourism booklet recently. Now Sangeet Som, a controversial lawmaker of the ruling BJP, has called it a "blot on Indian culture" and a monument built by "traitors".

"Many people were worried that the Taj Mahal was removed from the list of historical places in the UP tourism booklet. What history are we talking about? The man who built Taj Mahal (Shahjahan) imprisoned his father. He wanted to massacre Hindus. If this is history, then it is very sad and we will change this history," Mr Som said.

Mr Som is among the politicians accused of a role in instigating riots that left over 60 dead and tens of thousands displaced in Muzaffarnagar in 2013. The lawmaker is known for his inflammatory speeches.

Earlier this month, the absence in a new tourism brochure of the 17th century marble mausoleum that attracts visitors from across the world sparked outrage. Many accused the Yogi Adityanath government of deliberately neglecting the monument built by Mughal emperor Shahjahan.

State Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi then clarified: "Taj Mahal is our cultural heritage and occupies a place among the world's famous tourist places."

The minister also said "holistic development of the cultural heritage and that of infrastructural facilities is the priority of the state government."

The booklet was released to mark six months of the BJP government in UP and listed the important tourist destinations in the state. It included the temple of Gorakhnath at Gorakhpur, which is headed by the Chief Minister.

In June, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said the monument to love built by Mughal emperor Shahjahan does not reflect Indian culture.

State minister Sidharth Nath Singh attributed the omission to a "miscommunication".

Source: NDTV