‘Demolish Taj Mahal’: BJP MLA Questions Shah Jahan’s Love For Mumtaz

Guwahati: Days after National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) decided to erase some chapters on Mughal Empire from Class XII history textbooks, a BJP leader has sparked a fresh controversy by questioning Emperor Shah Jahan’s love for Mumtaz.

Demanding an investigation into whether Shah Jahan truly loved his wife, for whom he built the Taj Mahal, Kurmi has sought the demolition of the iconic monument of love in Agra.

Questioning why the 17th century Mughal emperor married three more times after the death of Mumtaz, the BJP legislator claimed that one of the seven wonders of the world was built with the wealth of Hindu royalty.

“In 1526, Mughals came to India and later made Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan built Taj Mahal with the money taken from Hindu Kings and that was our money. He made Taj Mahal for his fourth wife. He married seven wives and Mumtaz was the fourth wife. If he loved Mumtaz so much, then why did he marry more wives later,” Kurmi has questioned.

In a video which is being circulated online, Kurmi has also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order the demolition of Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar.

“I urge the Prime Minister to immediately demolish the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar. In place of these two monuments, the world’s most beautiful temples should be built. The architecture of those two temples should be such that no other monuments could even come close to them,” Kurmi is heard saying.

The MLA from Mariani constituency in Jorhat district said he was ready to donate a year’s salary for the construction of temples.