UP CM Yogi Adityanath to visit Taj Mahal, says monument was built by blood and sweat of Indians

A day after BJP's riot-accused legislator Sangeet Som said that the Taj Mahal doesn’t represent Indian culture, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath responding to the controversial comment said, “Taj Mahal was built by blood and sweats of Indians.”

Adityanath also added, “It does not matter who built it and for what reason. It was built by the blood and sweat of Indian labourers.”

The UP chief minister further said that he did not wanted to go into the  depth of who built the Taj and why they made it.

He further added that monument was important to his government, especially toursim perspective.

“It is our priority to provide facilities and safety to tourists there,” added Adityanath.

The Chief Minister’s officer told the media that Adityanath will be visiting Agra on October 26 to survey Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.

Som’s comment during a rally on Monday had triggered controversy across the country. He had said, “Taj Mahal was built by traitors.”

Also read| Taj Mahal row: State government gets into damage control, says monument is cultural heritage

He had further said, “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."

Also read: Will govt now tell tourists not to visit Taj Mahal: Owaisi on Som's remarks

Soon after Som’s comment, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi questioned Taj Mahals place in history and asked if the government would tell tourists not to visit the monument.