Taj Mahal : UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visits 17th century Mughal era monument
AGRA: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today visited Taj Mahal in Agra. CM Adityanath arrived in Agra this morning. CM Adityanath has taken part in mega cleanliness programme at the west gate of Taj Mahal.
Adityanath , days after some BJP leaders made provocative statements against the 17th century Mughal era monument. Accompanied by scores of security personnel, officials and jostling crowds of supporters, he walked down the path leading to Taj Mahal along with State Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi. Mr. Adityanath, the first BJP Chief Minister of the State to visit the monument, entered from the western gate.
The visit is seen by many as a damage control exercise after the eruption of a series of controversies, beginning with a tourism department booklet not mentioning the white marble monument in its list of development projects in the State. Subsequently, BJP MLA Sangeet Som called Taj Mahal a “blot on Indian history” and BJP MP Vinay Katiyar said it was originally a Shiva temple.
However, at a recent rally in Gorakhpur, Mr. Adityanath called Taj Mahal the “pride of India” and referred to it as a “world class monument“. This was a significant departure from his remarks at a rally in Bihar in 2016, when he said Taj Mahal does not represent Indian culture and that visiting foreign dignitaries should be presented with the Gita rather than replicas of the monument. The Chief Minister had declared that the State government will spend ₹370 crore on development plans aimed at promoting tourism in Agra.
Notably, Adityanath’s visit is the first by a BJP CM of the state. No BJP Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has ever visited the Taj, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tribute to his love for his queen, Mumtaz Mahal. CM stayed for half an hour at the graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz and visit the Shah Jahan park nearby. The chief minister is also inspected various places along the way, inside and outside the monument.
Chief Minister Yogi picked up the broom as he arrived at the spectacular Taj Mahal in Agra amid a series of controversial statements by some leaders and ministers from his party, the BJP, against the 17th-century monument including denouncing it as “a blot on Indian culture”. He swept a small area outside the Taj, wearing gloves and a baseball hat, as part of a campaign to encourage public cleanliness.
Chief Minister, he had skipped the Taj Mahal when he visited Agra in May. In June, he said that miniature replicas of the Taj, offered often as gifts to foreign dignitaries, were inappropriate offerings because they are not representative of Indian heritage.
After BJP leaders went on a verbal rampage against the Taj, with Sangeet Som, a lawmaker from the state, alleging it was built by “traitors” who wanted to eliminate all Hindus, the Taj did not feature in a document released by the UP government to highlight top tourist spots in the state.
As the controversy surged, the Yogi, who is a priest from eastern Uttar Pradesh, said it had been built with “the sweat and blood” of Indians and his visit to the monument was promptly scheduled. The opposition has described the commentary of the BJP leaders against the Taj, one of the seven wonders of the world, as designed to divide Hindus and Muslims in the country’s most-populous state.
About four helipads have been readied across Agra for use by the Chief Minister’s helicopter today. The Chief Minister is expected to launch a project to develop a tourist pathway from Taj Mahal to the famous Agra Fort, another popular tourist attraction. The Chief Minister is also expected to speak about the state’s Rs. 370 crore-development plan for the city and the proposed international airport at Agra.
The row has worried thousands in Agra who depend on tourist arrivals to the western Uttar Pradesh city, a few hours away from the national capital. According to government statistics, every fourth foreign visitor to the country visits the Taj but there has been a decline in the number foreign tourists to the white marble mausoleum widely considered one of the world’s seven wonders.(With Agency Inputs).
