Reacting to media reports of Uttar Pradesh government omitting the world-famous Taj Mahal from the list of tourism projects in the state, Congress vice President Rahul Gandhi today took swipe at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and branded him a “useless leader”.
“ The brightness of the sun is not diminished even if you don’t show a candle to it. For this kind of regime, Bhartendu wrote 'andher nagri, choupat raja' ( Town in darkness, useless ruler),” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
The opposition parties in UP objected to the omission of Taj Mahal from the government’s list of tourism projects and alleged that Yogi government was deliberately ignoring monuments of Mughal era.
The list included Naimisharanya, Allahabad, Chitrakoot and a host of other places but had no mention of Agra or the Taj Mahal.
They also referred to Yogi’s speech in Bihar in which he had said that Taj Mahal did not reflect Indian culture.
“Foreign dignitaries visiting the country used to be gifted replicas of Taj Mahal, which did not reflect Indian culture," Yogi Adityanath had said.
However, the UP tourism ministry clarified in a press release that the booklet was meant to highlight the UP government's ongoing and future plans in the tourism sector and wasn't meant to be a publication of the state's tourist attractions.
The press release also added that that Rs 370 crore has been set aside for tourism in UP of which Rs 156 crore will be utilized to improve the tourist attraction in and around Taj Mahal.
