Taj Mahal a symbol of love not worship, Mughal rulers were aiyaash: Shia Waqf Board chairman

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said the Taj Mahal is an important tourist draw and it was immaterial who built it and for what reason.

Lucknow: Amid the Taj Mahal controversy, Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board chairman Waseem Rizvi on Tuesday accused the majority of the Mughal rulers of being aiyaash.

Expressing his views on the ongoing controversy, Rizvi said, “Taj Mahal can be symbol of love but not of worship,” adding that besides a couple of Mughal emperors, majority was habitual of living a 'flamboyant lifetsyle'.

Commenting on UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath's move to build a 100-metre statue of Lord Ram, the Shia Waqf Board chairman said, “No one opposed when Mayawati built her own statues, so why an issue is being created over Ram statue.”

Earlier on Monday, BJP MLA Sangeet Som stirred a huge controversy as he questioned the 17th century architectural marvel's place in India's heritage and said history would be rewritten to erase Mughal emperors from it.

Som's comments during a visit to Meerut district prompted an angry response from All India Majlis-e- Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi and Samajwadi party leader Azam Khan.

In an attempt to water down the controversy over the Taj Mahal, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that what mattered is that the monument is a result of the hardwork put in by Indian labourers.

Adityanath is also scheduled to visit the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and other important monuments in Agra on October 26, an official told IANS.