 "Rashtrapati Bhavan a sign of slavery: Azam Khan on Som's Taj Mahal remarks")
The Rashtrapati Bhavan is a sign of slavery and not destroying it is political impotency, said Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Monday as he threw his hat into the heated war of words over monuments and how they fit into India's history.
Khan's remark, which was tweeted by News18, came after BJP MLA Sangeet Som questioned the Taj Mahal's place in the country's history, distorting historical facts to say that it was built by an emperor who had imprisoned his father and targeted Hindus.
During a visit to the Meerut district, the legislator from Sardhana also termed Mughal emperors Babur, Akbar, and Aurangzeb "traitors" and said their names would be removed from the pages of history.
In comments that come soon after the Yogi Adityanath government 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?"
Responding to Som's comments, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday asked if the government would tell tourists not to visit the Taj.
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 AIMIM chief also said Hyderabad House in Delhi, the venue for the Centre for hosting foreign dignitaries, was built by a "traitor".
The AIMIM chief also said Hyderabad House in Delhi, the venue for the Centre for hosting foreign dignitaries, was built by a "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.
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