BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday alleged that the iconic monument of love built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal in the 17th century was built on a stolen property.
Trash talk over Taj Mahal: Usual suspects, filth poured over other national structures
In fact, the BJP MP in Rajya Sabha had also said that he has access to the documents that suggest the property was stolen.
Swamy's comments come a day after BJP MP Vinay Katiyar kicked up a controversy when he claimed that the Taj Mahal was actually a Hindu temple.
Land stolen from Hindu kings?
Swamy is the latest political personality to join the fray over Taj Mahal. He claimed that the iconic Mughal monument in Agra was constructed from the land stolen from the Hindus.
"There is evidence on record that Shah Jahan forced the Raja-Maharajas of Jaipur to sell the land on which Taj Mahal is standing, and he gave them a compensation of forty villages, which is nothing compared to the property's value," Swamy said.
He further said that the documents will be soon made public.
"The documents also suggest that there was a temple on the property. But it is still not clear whether Taj Mahal was built after the demolition of a temple," he added.
However, Swamy clarified that the BJP has no intention of demolishing Taj Mahal, but only want three temples out of thousands demolished under the Muslim rule to be restored.
"We want only three, which are Ayodhya's Ram, Krishna's Mathura and Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi. These three, once they are restored, we won't be concerned about the remaining forty thousand," said Swamy.
Earlier, Sangeet Som was criticised for questioning the history of the Taj Mahal and its builders, and for claiming that those who built the historic monument wanted to wipe out Hindus.
