NEW DELHI: The Taj Mahal controversy is refusing to die. Now a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated organisation has now demanded that Friday prayers at the at the iconic 17th century monument be banned.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today TV, Dr Balmukund Pandey, national organisation secretary of the history wing of the RSS – Akhil Bhartiya Itihaas Sankalan Samiti, said:
“Taj is a national heritage- why allow Muslims to use it as a religious site? Permission to perform namaz at Agra’s Taj Mahal should be withdrawn.”
Pandey then went on to add that if Muslims is being allowed to offer namaz inside Taj premises then Hindus should also be granted permission to hold Shiv prayers at the site.
“There is ample evidence that Taj Mahal was a Shiva Temple constructed by a Hindu King, Taj is not a symbol of love, Emperor Shahjahan married within four months of his queen Mumtaz Mahal’a demise,” Pandey claimed, adding “We are collecting evidence and will soon detail every aspect of it.”
Taj Mahal has been in news from the time the Uttar Pradesh government dropped it from its tourism booklet, following which BJP’s Sangeet Som supported it by calling it a blot on Indian culture.