Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Parliament and R’pati Bhavan are also signs of slavery they should be demolished Says Azam Khan
NEW DELHI / LUCKNOW : Not just Taj Mahal, monuments like Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Parliament and Rashtrapati Bhavan are also signs of slavery and they should be demolished, Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan said this on Tuesday while reacting to controversial BJP MLA Sangeet Som’s recent remarks on the Taj Mahal.
Azam Khan’s statement closely follows BJP MLAs remarks about Taj Mahal being built by a traitor. “Many people were disappointed that the Taj Mahal was removed from the UP tourism booklet. What history are we talking about? Whose history? The creator of the Taj Mahal (Shah Jahan) imprisoned his father. He wanted to wipe out all Hindus from India. If these people are part of our history, then it is very unfortunate,” the Sardana MLA had said before being immensely trolled on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will visit the Taj Mahal next week, his office said today, in the middle of a controversy over a lawmaker of his BJP, Sangeet Som, describing the monument as “a blot on Indian culture”. The Chief Minister “shall go to Agra and Taj Mahal and Agra Fort on 26th and review tourism schemes and other schemes of Agra,” said officials. The move was seen by many as urgent damage control.
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal and he was imprisoned until the end of his life by his son Aurangzeb. While the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh was quick to distance itself from Som’s comments and said it was his personal opinion, a reaction from Azam Khan’s SP is awaited.
In what is fast becoming a week defined by controversial remarks by politicians, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan may have felt a little left behind. A day after BJP’s Sangeet Som called Taj Mahal a blot on Indian culture, the former Uttar Pradesh minister described Rashtrapati Bhavan as a sign of slavery.
A politician known for his questionable views on a number of issues, Azam Khan told reporters on Tuesday that buildings and monuments constructed in India by past rulers should be razed. “Signs of slavery which reek of past rulers should be erased. I had said even in the past that why not Parliament, why not Qutub Minar, why not Rashtrapati Bhavan, why not Lal Qila and why not Taj Mahal?” he said.
Many noted personalities have begun questioning Uttar Pradesh politicians across party lines for choosing to make ‘preposterous statements’ instead of concentrating on development.”In UP, roads, hospitals, schools, colleges, police, municipal, etc. are in extremely bad shape, but BJP is discussing Taj Mahal. Priorities,” said noted music composer Rahul Raj.
Uttar Pradesh’s ruling BJP and Yogi Adityanath have been accused of neglecting the Mughal-built monument purposely after it was left out of a UP tourism booklet listing popular spots in the state. The world-renowned marble monument to love built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century, was missing in the booklet released earlier this month to mark six months of the BJP government.
Critics recalled that Yogi Adityanath had said in June that the Taj Mahal does not reflect Indian culture.On Sunday, Sangeet Som, a riot-accused BJP legislator charged with inciting communal violence that left over 60 dead in Muzaffarnagar in 2013, said the Taj Mahal was 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 imprisoned his father. He wanted to massacre Hindus. If this is history, then it is very unfortunate and we will change this history, I guarantee you” Mr Som said at a rally in Meerut. (With Inputs from Delhi).
