English
New Delhi, Oct 26: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister today used his Agra visit to hit back at the previous Samajwadi Party government headed by Akhilesh Yadav.
Speaking at a public gathering at the Taj City hours after participating in a cleanliness drive inside the premises of the iconic white-marble structure, Yogi Adityanath said his visit has irked those who have done nothing other than dividing people of the region on basis of their caste .
“Many are disturbed by my Agra visit. Those who have done nothing for Agra in the past are raising questions and trying to play politics over my visit,” Adityanath said.
“People who have divided the society on the basis of castes are raising objections over my visit to Agra,” he added.
The UP CM also sought to downplay the massive controversy triggered by his party MLA Sangeet Som, who described Agra as a “blot on Indian culture and history”.
“It doesn’t matter who built the Taj Mahal. It is our heritage. It was built by blood and sweat of Indian labourers,” Yogi Adityanath said in an apparent snub at Sangeet Som. The Sardhana MLA had last week said that Taj Mahal holds no historical importance as it was constructed by the Mughals who plundered India.
#TajMahal was built by blood & sweat of Indian labourers. The onus of its security & preservation lies on our shoulders: UP CM in Agra pic.twitter.com/rf6JdJMnHx
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 26, 2017
Yogi Adityanath inaugurated various schemes worth Rs 235 crore and said his government aims to improve security and other services in the city which will help the tourism industry.
“Everyday 40,000-50,000 tourists come to Agra, if we can provide them adequate security, the number will rise to 2.5-3 lakh,” the CM said.
Earlier, taking a swipe at Yogi Adityanath’s cleanliness drive, Akhilesh Yadav called it Lord Ram’s ‘kamaal’ .
“See how time changes…BJP did not consider it as heritage…And now the CM is cleaning West Gate of Taj Mahal with a ‘jhadu‘ (broom),” said the former Uttar Pradesh CM.
“It’s good that SP workers from Agra have come here, otherwise they would have used broom at West Gate of Taj. He (CM) is wielding broom there. We have nothing to do with it. It is Lord Rama’s ‘kamaal‘,” he said.
Yogi’s Cleanliness Drive
The much publicised visit, the first by a BJP chief minister of the state, comes days after the party’s leaders and ministers made provocative statements against the famed symbol of love.
Accompanied by scores of security personnel, officials and jostling crowds of supporters, Adityanath spent nearly half an hour in the Taj complex, gazing at the 17th century architectural marvel before going inside.
He also posed for photographs with foreign tourists and interacted with them. (Also Read: BJP Snubs Sangeet Som, Yogi Adityanath Seeks Explanation on Taj Mahal Remark)
Chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and slogans in Adityanath’s praise could be heard as he walked the path leading to the Taj Mahal, along with state Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
He entered from the western gate, where he swept the road along with senior leaders, and exited from the eastern gate, going straight to a state tourism hotel for a presentation by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Donning a mask, wearing yellow gloves and wielding a broom, Adityanath was accompanied by about 500 BJP members, including MLAs from western Uttar Pradesh, as he swept a parking area, in an apparent bid to promote the Swachh Bharat mission.
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