Taj built with blood, sweat of Indians: Yogi

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday that the Taj Mahal was an important tourist draw and it was immaterial who built it, in an apparent move to stem a controversy over the 17th-century marble monument.

“It does not matter who built it and for what reason. It was built with the blood and sweat of Indian labourers... It is very important for us, especially from the tourism perspective. It is our priority to provide facilities and safety to tourists,” the chief minister said in Kushinagar.

Adityanath also announced his plan to visit the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and other important monuments in Agra, a day after BJP MLA Sangeet Som said the mausoleum was built by “traitors”.

“The chief minister will visit the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort on October 26 to review tourism schemes in Agra. The chief minister will also take stock of the work being carried out in Agra,” an official spokesperson said.

This will be the first visit of Adityanath to the Taj Mahal after taking over as the chief minister on March 19.

Adityanath’s remark is being seen as an attempt by the state government to put to rest the controversy after BJP’S Sardhana legislator Som said the Taj Mahal was “built by traitors”.

The statement drew widespread criticism.

The BJP too appeared to disown Som’s remarks and called his comments on the Unesco World Heritage Site, his “individual view”.