Meerut: Courting fresh controversy, BJP MLA Sangeet Som has questioned Taj Mahal's place in history, distorting historical facts to say that it was built by an emperor who had imprisoned his father and targeted Hindus.

In fact, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, was the one imprisoned till the end of his days by his son Aurangzeb.

During a visit to Meerut district, the legislator from Sardhana yesterday also termed Mughal emperors Babur, Akbar and Aurangzeb "traitors" and said their names would be removed from the pages of history.     

In comments that come soon after the Yogi Adityanath government reportedly left out the Taj Mahal from an official tourism booklet, Som said, "Many people were pained to see that the Taj Mahal was removed from the list of places (tourist destinations). What type of history?         

"Is this history that the person who built the Taj Mahal imprisoned his father? Do you call it history when the one who built the Taj targeted many Hindus in Uttar Pradesh and Hindustan?"

Addressing a gathering at Sisoli village after inaugurating a statue of 8th century king Anangpal Singh Tomar, he said invaders of India have been glorified in history. The lives and achievements of the "real great men" of the country like Maharana Pratap and Shivaji would be taught in schools and colleges, Som said.    

There were many Hindu kings who do not find mention in history books. The BJP government would make sure their valour and sacrifice is properly respected, Som said. He also said no one could stop the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and Krishna Mandir in Mathura.    

Following the controversy over the booklet, the state government had issued a press release stating, "Tourism projects worth Rs 370 crore are proposed, under which schemes worth Rs 156 crore are meant for the Taj Mahal and its surrounding areas in Agra."  

Som is not new to controversy, often making the headlines for his provocative statements and actions on issues such as the Dadri lynching and the Muzaffarnagar riots.PTI