A lawmaker from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state of Uttar Pradesh- home to the Taj Mahal, described the architectural wonder a "blot" on the Indian culture and said the person who built it had imprisoned his own father.
The ivory-white marble mausoleum in the city of Agra became the subject of a political controversy after the state government of Uttar Pradesh dropped it from its booklet of tourism monuments last week.
Sangeet Som, a controversial lawmaker from the state who is accused of inciting communal riots that killed 60 people in 2013, said addressing a gathering that the Taj was built by a traitor and the history will be changed.
"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,” said Mr Som.
“If this is history, then it is very unfortunate and we will change this history, I guarantee you".
While he later issued a clarification, saying he did not oppose Taj Mahal, but “the Mughals who built it”, the state government said the Taj is a part of India’s “proud heritage”.
The state government also, later in the day, issued a statement to say it had earmarked Rs 156 crore ($31 million approximately) for tourism projects for the Taj Mahal and its surrounding areas.
The opposition party in the state condemned Mr Som’s statement and accused the ruling BJP of preaching hatred.
“History can’t be changed. We must learn from history, both good and bad. These comments are by people who are stuck in history and have a narrow mindset,” said Samajwadi Party spokesperson, CP Rai.
The state tourism booklet which was released to mark six months of the BJP government in the state includes plans for new attractions including a tour of monuments and locations linked to Hinduism. However, the Taj did not find a mention in it.
The newly elected chief minister of UP, Yogi Aditya Nath, on an earlier occasion said the Taj had no connection with India’s cultural heritage.
The comment was made in the context of presenting the miniature replicas of the monuments to visiting dignitaries by the previous government.
The 17th-century monument was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Her tomb is housed in it.
It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.
