Demolish Rashtrapati Bhavan, Qutub Minar along with Taj Mahal: Azam Khan

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan has called for the destruction of Rashtrapati Bhawan, Qutab Minar, Lal Qila, calling the historical buildings a sign of slavery.

Khan was taking a potshot at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som, who on Monday courted the controversy by saying that the Taj Mahal was built by "traitors'' and hence must be demolished. The BJP, however, had disowned Som's comments as individual's views.

Speaking to ANI, Azam Khan said, "Why only Taj Mahal? Why not Rashtrapati Bhavan, Qutab Minar, Lal Qila? All these are signs of slavery. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) people call it a sign of traitor and if it is so, then the Taj Mahal should be demolished."

Known for making controversial statements, Khan said that he is always in favour of demolishing monuments signifying slavery.

The Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, has been in news for missing from a booklet released to mark six months of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

The state Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi, however, said that her government was committed to developing the monument to love and urist spots related to it.