UP BJP legislator Sangeet Som has found an unlikely ally in Samajwadi Party Azam Khan, who on Tuesday called for the destruction of “all reminders of slavery” like the Taj mahal and Rashtrapati Bhawan. Azam Khan, the Rampur MlA , was reacting to Bharatiya Janata Party MlA Sangeet Som, who on Monday courted controversy by saying that the Taj Mahal was a symbol of Islamic slavery and built by “traitors’‘ and must be demolished. The BJP, however, had distanced itself from the comments made by its MlA Sangeet Som.
Azam Khan said, “Why only Taj Mahal. Why not Rashtrapati Bhavan, Qutab Minar, lal QilaIJ 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.
“We should destroy all reminders of slavery that reek of those who once ruled over us. I have said this before too. Parliament, Qutab Minar, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Red Fort, Agra’s Taj Mahal...all of it,” said Azam Khan, who is the national general secretary of the Samajwadi party. The BJP MlA Sangeet som on Monday had called the Mughal emperors Babur, Akbar and Aurangzeb “traitors”. Som had said that if people like Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, “who tried to wipe out Hindus”, are seen as part of India’s heritage and history then “we will change that history”.
Touching on the recent dropping of the Taj Mahal from a State list of Uttar Pradesh’s historical sites, Som wondered why “people like the man who built it” should be considered part of Indian culture and heritage.
“Many were sad when the Taj Mahal was removed from the list of historical places. What kind of historyIJ What place’s historyIJ Whose historyIJ The history that the man who built the Taj Mahal was imprisoned by his sonIJ The history that he wanted to wipe out the Hindus from all of Uttar Pradesh and IndiaIJ” asked Som. Several opposition politicians, including an SP spokeswoman, slammed Som for his remarks. The Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, is India’s top tourism destination but has received a barrage of negative comments from top BJP leaders, including chief minister Yogi Adityanath – who in June had said the ivory-white marble mausoleum didn’t represent “Indian culture”. The 17th century structure has also seen a steady decline in footfall in recent years and is battling mounting pollution.