Left, BJP find new battleground in Taj as Kerala ‘salutes’ monument

NEW DELHI: Keeping the controversy over the Taj Mahal alive, Kerala Tourism, mandated to push tourist destinations and experiences within the state, took to social media to salute the Taj for “inspiring millions”.
On October 18, a tweet from Kerala Tourism’s official handle said, “God’s Own Country salutes the Taj Mahal for inspiring millions to discover India.” The tweet was followed by another by Kerala’s tourism minister and CPM MLA Kadakampally Surendran.He said, “As an Indian, I am proud of our rich heritage and Taj Mahal symbolises it. Kerala salutes Taj Mahal which inspire millions!”
The Twitter references to the Taj Mahal served as fresh ground for a political feud between the BJP and the Left, now sparring for several months over political murders in the southern state. While a section of the BJP saw this as an attempt by the Left party to teach the Yogi Adityanath-led UP government how to market its best-known and most-visited tourist destination, many also referred to this as the CPM’s vile attempt to create a controversy.
Barbed attacks against the monument of love, however, continued from the saffron camp despite Adityanath’s assertions that the UP government would discharge its responsibility of conserving and promoting the Taj. On Friday, the Unesco World Heritage site came in for a fresh attack by Haryana minister Anil Vij, who referred to it as a “beautiful burial ground”, a comment that comes close on the heels of UP MLA Sangeet Som’s comment that the Taj Mahal was a blot on Indian culture.
Earlier, the UP government had landed smack in the middle of a controversy when it dropped any reference to the Taj Mahal in a booklet released on World Tourism Day. While the state government attempted to play down the controversy saying the booklet had focused on future projects and new destinations rather than established ones, the opposition attacked the BJP government in UP for attempting to communalise a monument regarded by the world as one of the seven wonders for its architectural beauty.
On October 26, Adityanath is scheduled to visit Agra to inaugurate tourism projects. It remains unclear, however, whether he will pay a visit to the Taj. Industry insiders hoped that the CM’s visit would put an end to the controversy over the 16th century monument.