After 'blot' row, Yogi says Taj Mahal built by blood, sweat of Indian workers
Lucknow: In an attempt to control the damage caused to the BJP by MLA Sangeet Som’s hate speech, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said the Taj Mahal was built by blood and sweat of Indian labourers.
Som had on Sunday described the iconic monument as "a blot on Indian culture".
Read: Taj Mahal built by traitors, can't be part of Indian history, says BJP MLA
"It does not matter who built the Taj Mahal and for what reason. It was built by blood and sweat of Indian labourers," said Adityanath, who will visit Agra on October 25 and take a tour to Taj Mahal and other monuments in the city.
#WATCH UP CM Adityanath reacts on Taj Mahal issue, says "It doesn't matter who built it, it was built by blood & sweat of Indian labourers". pic.twitter.com/Kxqtvz7mum
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 17, 2017
Adding that the Taj Mahal is important, Adityanath focused on the tourism perspective of the monument and said "it is our priority to provide facilities and safety to tourists there."
Courting a controversy, Som had termed Mughal emperors, Babur, Akbar and Aurangzeb, as "traitors" and said that their names would be removed from the pages of history. He was addressing a gathering at Sisoli village after inaugurating a statue of 8th century king Anangpal Singh Tomar.
"Many people were pained to see that the Taj Mahal was removed from the list of places (tourist destinations). What type of history? Is this history that the person who built the Taj Mahal imprisoned his father? Do you call it a history when the one who built the Taj targeted many Hindus in Uttar Pradesh and Hindustan?" he had said.
Read: Yogi Adityanath govt removes Taj Mahal from UP's tourism booklet
Som's comments came days after a section of media reported that a booklet brought out by the tourism department of the Uttar Pradesh government left out the Taj Mahal from its list of major tourist destinations.
