THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Tourism Department took to Twitter thanking the iconic Taj Mahal for ‘inspiring millions to discover India’, post the recent controversies by some ministers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Uttar Pradesh, who spoke against the monument and questioned its importance as a heritage symbol.
The tweet by the Kerala Tourism reads, “God’s Own Country salutes the #TajMahal for inspiring millions to discover India. #incredibleindia”
But it is unclear what the intentions were in this tweet and if it has even anything to do with the controversy. The post was shared both on the official Facebook and Twitter handles of the Kerala Tourism.
The Mughal mausoleum came into controversy earlier in the week after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som said that there is no reason to glorify the Taj Mahal as it was a ‘blot on Indian culture’. He further stated that, Shahjahan tormented Hindu people and imprisoned his own father.
Meanwhile, another BJP MP Vinay Katiyar took the world to shock with his controversial statement saying that the Taj Mahal is actually a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. He also added that in the past there used to be a Shiva linga, (the phallus statue denoting Shiva) inside the mausoleum, where water used to drip from the roof, but was later replaced with a mazaar.
Soon following that, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a snub at the minister and said; Taj Mahal was built by sweat and blood by Indian labours.