Bharatiya Janata Party MP Vinay Katiyar on Monday stirred a controversy after he said that the Taj Mahal in Agra will soon become “Tej Mandir”.
Katiyar’s remarks come on a day when it was reported that the upcoming Taj Mahotsav, which will be held between February 18 and 27, will be about Ram. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath and Governor Ram Naik will be the chief guests on the opening day of the event.
“You can call it Taj Mahotsav or Tej Mahotsav, both are the same,” the founder of Bajrang Dal told ANI when asked about the 10-day event in Agra. “There is not much difference between Taj and Tej...Our Tej Mandir was turned into a cremation ground by Aurangzeb. Taj Mahal will be converted into Tej Mandir soon.”
Speaking to Times Now, Katiyar said that there will come a time when the cremation ground will be destroyed by “some administrator”. “Tej Mahal is our tradition...The celebration of the festival is a good thing, it will boost tourism.”
The Uttar Pradesh government has clarified that it is not involved in deciding the theme for Taj Mahotsav, News18 reported. The government said the event has been planned by the organising committee that comprises local administrative officials.
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