In an explosive statement, Bharatiya Party Legislator (BJP) legislator from Mariani constituency Rupjyoti Kurmi requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demolish the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar and build temples in their place.
Reacting to the controversy surrounding the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)’s decision to drop chapters on Mughal history Kurmi said, “I request Prime Minister to demolish the Taj Mahal, demolish the Qutub Minar and build the most beautiful and biggest temple in the world at their sites.”
Rupjyoti Kurmi claimed that the Mughals were invaders who came into India in the 1500s and that students should not study about them. “The students should learn about other Indian kings”, he said.
Kurmi said that the temple should be in such a line that it is recognized not only by “UNICEF” but also by the “Guinness World Record”.
“I will donate a year’s salary for the temple to be built”, he added.
The Taj Mahal, undoubtedly India’s most popular tourist destination, has been visited by the likes of former US President Donald Trump, Princess Diana, Prince Harry and wife Kate Middleton, Hillary Clinton, Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and Will Smith, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, several heads of states and eminent personalities from across the globe, the list is long.
The Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. He had commissioned the structure in 1631 and the construction had begun the next year. The marble monument took 22 years and 22,000 workers to be finally completed in 1653.
While, Qutbu’d-Din Aibak laid the foundation of the Qutb Minar in AD 1199 for the use of the mu’azzin (crier) to give calls for prayer and raised the first storey, to which were added three more storeys by his successor and son-in-law, Shamsu’d-Din Iltutmish.
Qutb Minar is a minaret and “victory tower” that forms part of the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of South Delhi, India. It is one of the most visited tourist spots in the city, mostly built between 1199 and 1220.
