NEW DELHI, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday began a damage control exercise, two days after one of its prominent lawmakers created a nationwide row by calling Taj Mahal - one of the Seven Wonders of the World - a "blot on Indian culture."
Trying to put to rest the controversy, Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh ruled by BJP, said that Taj Mahal was built by "Indian labourers."
"It does not matter who built it and for what reason. It was built by blood and sweat of Indian labourers. It is very important for us, especially from tourism perspective it is our priority to provide facilities and safety to tourists there," the chief minister told media.
Senior government officials also said that Adityanath "shall go to Agra and Taj Mahal and Agra Fort on Oct. 26 and review tourism schemes and other schemes of Agra."
BJP lawmaker Sangeet Som on Sunday not only called Taj Mahal a "blot on Indian culture" but also described it as a monument built by "traitors."
"The man who built Taj Mahal imprisoned his father. He wanted to massacre Hindus," the BJP leader said at a political rally.
The 17th century mausoleum was built in 1653 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, a Muslim, for his third and favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. The iconic monument in Agra in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh attracts about 12,000 visitors a day.
Earlier this month, Taj Mahal's absence in a new tourism brochure of Uttar Pradesh sparked outrage. Many accused the state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government of deliberately neglecting the monument built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
