From Adityanath to Sangeet Som: BJP’s complicated relationship with Taj Mahal

Recently, BJP MLA Sangeet Som rekindled the party’s bizarre hate-hate relationship with the Taj Mahal, a monument whose Mughal history makes it an easy target.

In comments that came 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?”

Addressing a gathering at Sisoli village after inaugurating a statue of 8th century king Anangpal Singh Tomar, Som said invaders of India have been glorified in history. Referring to ‘kalank katha’, or the black mark of history, he said, ” Whether it is Babar, Akbar or Aurangzeb, the government is working to erase them from history.” The lives and achievements of the “real great men” of the country like Maharana Pratap and Shivaji would be taught in schools and colleges, Som said.

Som seems to have confused the identity of Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who built Taj …read more