SP Azam Khan's calls for demolition of Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Red Fort

Moneycontrol News

Samajwadi Party MLA Azam Khan on Tuesday said that not just Taj Mahal but all "symbols of slavery" such as Parliament House and Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi should be demolished, reported Hindustan Times.

"Why only the Taj Mahal? Why not the Parliament? Why not the Rashtrapati Bhavan? Why not the Qutub Minar? Why not the Red Fort in Delhi? Why not the Agra Fort? These are the signs of traitors. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) people call it a sign of traitor and if it is so, then the Taj Mahal should be demolished," Khan told ANI.

Khan's remark comes after a BJP legislator Sangeet Som on Monday called the Taj Mahal a blot on Indian history as it was built by 'traitors' and should be demolished.

"I won't respond to him (Som). But I have always been saying that all symbols of slavery in India should be demolished. It is true that Mughals conquered India. But I won't get into how they came and who brought them to India because it will create a bitter debate. Some people will mind my opinion about that because they don't like the truth," Khan said.

The exclusion of the Taj Mahal from the state's tourism booklet led to an uproar, following which, Som had said that the creator of Taj Mahal (Shah Jahan) "imprisoned his father".

Som claimed that Shahjahan wanted to "wipe out Hindus" and if they are seen as a part of India's heritage then "we will change this history".

The 17th century built Taj Mahal, which is one of India’s top tourist destination, has been in news because of several comments over its exclusion from UP's tourism booklet.

Earlier, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had said that the ivory-white marble mausoleum didn’t represent “Indian culture”.