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

HYDERABAD: Responding to BJP’s Uttar Pradesh legislator Sangeet Som’s comments questioning Taj Mahal’s place in history, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday asked if the government would tell tourists not to visit the monument.

Asaduddin Owaisi. PTI file

Hyderabad, October 16

Responding to BJP’s Uttar Pradesh legislator Sangeet Som’s comments questioning Taj Mahal’s place in history, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday asked if the government would tell tourists not to visit the monument.

Courting fresh controversy, Som on Sunday questioned the Taj Mahal’s place in history, distorting historical facts to say that it was built by an emperor who had imprisoned his father and targeted Hindus.

Read: BJP MLA questions Taj Mahal’s ‘history’, says Mughals were traitors

In comments that came after the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh reportedly left out the Taj Mahal from an official tourism booklet, Som said, “Many people were pained to see that the Taj Mahal was removed from the list of places (tourist destinations). What type of history?

“Is this history that the person who built the Taj Mahal imprisoned his father? Do you call it history when the one who built the Taj targeted many Hindus in Uttar Pradesh and Hindustan?”

In fact, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, was the one imprisoned till the end of his days by his son Aurangzeb.

The MLA from Sardhana also termed Mughal emperors Babur, Akbar and Aurangzeb “traitors” and said their names would be removed from the pages of history.

Responding to the comments, Owaisi, the Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad, tweeted, “‘Traitors’ also build Red Fort will Modi stop hoisting Tiranga? Can Modi and Yogi tell domestic and foreign tourist not to visit Taj Mahal?”

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief also said Hyderabad House in Delhi, the venue for the Centre hosting foreign dignitaries, was built by “traitor”.

“Even Hyderabad House in Delhi was built by “Traitor” will Modi stop hosting Foreign Dignitaries?” he asked.

Hyderabad House was built by Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam, on a land offered by the British.

Addressing a gathering on Sunday at Sisoli village in Uttar Pradesh after inaugurating a statue of 8th century king Anangpal Singh Tomar, Som had said that invaders of India had been glorified in history. PTI