BJP's agenda is to destroy India's culture, heritage: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee on Monday condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som's remarks on Taj Mahal, saying that it's BJP's agenda to destroy India's culture and heritage.

"It's BJP's systematic political agenda to finish India's culture and heritage. It's condemnable" Mamta said.

Taking a pot shot at Uttar Pradesh government for renaming the Mughalsarai railway station to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay railway station, she said, "I don't know how they excluded Taj Mahal! They changed Mughalsarai's name. If they want to change India's name, where will we go?"

Earlier today, BJP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Uttar Pradesh's Sardhana, Sangeet Som sparked a controversy by saying that the iconic Taj Mahal was built by traitors and hence, cannot be included in the Indian history.

The BJP leader made the remark during an event at the Sisoli village in Meerut district on Sunday.

While addressing a gathering, Som said, "Many people were disappointed that the Taj Mahal was removed from the Uttar Pradesh tourism booklet. What history are we talking about? The creator of Taj Mahal (Shahjehan) imprisoned his father. He wanted to wipe out Hindus. If these people are part of our history, then it is very sad and we will change this history."

This controversial statement has come weeks after Uttar Pradesh Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi rejected reports of the Taj Mahal's exclusion from the state government's new tourism booklet.

It was earlier reported that the Taj Mahal, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was not mentioned in a new booklet released by the Yogi Adityanath-led state government.

"The Taj Mahal has been the legacy of Uttar Pradesh and hence, claiming that the government is ignoring it is wrong," Joshi had said.