Demolish Rashtrapati Bhavan, Qutub Minar along with Taj Mahal: Azam Khan

Rampur (Uttar Pradesh): In a sly attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som, senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, has called for the destruction of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Qutub Minar, and the Lal Qila.

Khan was taking a potshot at Som, after the latter had made a controversial statement on the Taj Mahal.

Som had on Monday courted controversy after he said that the historical monument was built by "traitors'' and hence, cannot be included in the Indian history.

The BJP, however, had disowned Som's comments as individual's views.

Taking a dig at Som, Khan has called for the destruction of Rashtrapati Bhawan, Qutab Minar, Lal Qila, calling the historical buildings a sign of slavery.

He said, "Why only Taj Mahal? Why not Rashtrapati Bhavan, Qutab Minar, Lal Qila? All these are signs of slavery. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) people call it a sign of traitor and if it is so, then the Taj Mahal should be demolished."

Known for making controversial statements, Khan said that he is always in favour of demolishing monuments signifying slavery.

The Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, has been in news recently after the Uttar Pradesh government did not include it in the tourism booklet, released to mark six months of the BJP government in the state.

The state Tourism minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi, however, said her government was committed to the development of the ‘Monument of Love’ and the other tourist spots related to it.