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BJP MLA calls Mughal emperors traitors; questions Taj Mahal's 'history'

Last Updated 16 October 2017, 09:07 IST
Controversial BJP legislator from Uttar Pradesh, Sangeet Som, on Monday called the Taj Mahal a "blot" and wanted it removed from history textbooks.

Som's statement comes days after the Taj Mahal, a World Heritage Site, found no mention in the tourism department's booklet containing the list of attractions in the state.

Speaking at a function in Meerut district on Sunday, Som - an accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots - said Taj Mahal and several other monuments were "symbols of atrocities" committed by the Mughal emperors.

‘’We will throw out the history of Mughal emperors from our syllabus...we will now teach the glorious history of reincarnations of Rama and Shiva to the students in Uttar Pradesh,’’ Som said.

The BJP legislator also said that Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal, had "committed atrocities" on Hindus and had put his father Jahangir in prison.

Som also defended the decision to keep the Taj out of the tourism department booklet saying that there was no need to study the history of a "traitor" (Shah Jahan).

The booklet mentioned almost all major religious events and places in the state, including the famous Ganga Arti, Mathura, Vrindavan and Ayodhya.

The Goraksha Peeth of which Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the chief priest was mentioned in the booklet as an important pilgrimage destination.

"Taj Mahal may be a beautiful building...but it cannot be a symbol of our cultural heritage," Adityanath had said earlier.
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(Published 16 October 2017, 07:03 IST)

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