Rename Taj Mahal as Ram Mahal or Krishna Mahal: BJP MLA

BJP legislator from Uttar Pradesh has demanded that the Taj Mahal be re-christened after Lord Rama or Lord Krishna.

Surendra Singh, the BJP MLA from the Bairia Assembly constituency in the state's Ballia district, about 400 km from Lucknow, also demanded the re-naming of roads and streets, which were after Mughal emperors.

"I am not in favour of demolishing the buildings built during the Muslim rule in the country... after all, they were built with our resources... Taj Mahal should not be demolished... its name should be changed... it should be Ram Mahal or Krishna Mahal," Singh said while speaking at a function in Ballia on Sunday evening.

"If I have my way, I will name it as Rashtra Bhakti Mahal," the MLA said.

"Just as Mughal Sarai railway station has been re-named after RSS ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, the roads carrying names like Babar or Humayun should also be re-named after Indian icons," he said.

Singh is known for remarks that embarrassed his own government.

He once said the character of the sex workers are a lot better than that of the government employees.

"Sex workers do their job after taking money but government officials often do not do their work even after taking money (bribe)," Singh had said a few months back.