Former Uttar Pradesh minister and senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Wednesday sparked another controversy, saying that if the Yogi Adityanath government decides to demolish Taj Mahal, he will provide support.
“Once there was a talk to demolish Taj Mahal and if Yogi Adityanath decides to demolish Taj Mahal and seeks my support then I would extend it,” said Khan.
He went on to claim that historical buildings like Taj Mahal, Qutb Minar and Lal Qila are examples of slavery.
Also Read: UP government ‘skips’ Taj Mahal in state tourism list, clarifies later
“Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, Delhi’s Red Fort, Agra Fort, Parliament House, and President House all are symbols of slavery,” Khan said.
The former UP minister was reacting to reports of Taj Mahal missing from the state government’s tourism booklet.
The brochure released by Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi has made no mention of the white marble stunner among the state’s tourist hotspots, and has instead carried the names of temples from Mathura, Ayodhya and Gorakhpur.
Reacting to the criticism, Joshi had said that the monument was “our cultural heritage”. “Taj Mahal is our cultural heritage and occupies a place among the world’s famous tourist places,” the 68-year-old minister said.
Joshi emphasized that Taj Mahal remains a significant tourist attraction for UP, and the government has allotted Rs 156 crore for betterment of facilities around it.
Earlier this year, Yogi Adityanath had criticised the custom of gifting Taj Mahal to foreign dignitaries as it doesn’t represent Indian culture.
Opposition leaders said the new brochure proves the UP government discriminates against Muslims and attempts to blank out any part of India's cultural heritage that is not Hindu.
