Amid controversies, Yogi Adityanath arrives in Agra to visit Taj Mahal.
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday arrived Agra in the wake of controversies regarding the status of Taj Mahal. He is about to visit the 17th-century monument shortly. Adityanath is the first BJP Chief Minister of UP to visit Taj Mahal.
During his tour of Agra.., the chief minister will be visiting all the places inside Taj Mahal," principal secretary, tourism, Awanish Awasthi told PTI. Following the raging controversy of excluding Taj Mahal from the tourism booklet of UP government, the Chief Minister had sanctioned Rs 370 crore on behalf of the state government for the development and promotion of tourism in the city. Here are some of the highlights of his visit:
As per the schedule of the event, the Chief Minister will spend half an hour at the graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Following this, he will visit the Shah Jahan park.
- Adityanath will also examine places along the way, inside and outside the monument.
- He will lay a foundation for the development of a Taj Mahal to Agra Fort tourist pathway.
- There will also be a mega cleanliness campaign around the west gate of Taj Mahal. The campaign will see the participation of social workers and 500 BJP activists.
- Adityanath will also inaugurate various Agra-based development projects.
The Taj Mahal controversy started with its non-inclusion in UP government's recently released tourism booklet.
Subsequently, firebrand BJP MLA Sangeet Som called the historic monument a "blot on Indian history" and said that it was built by traitors.
However, the Chief Minister termed Taj Mahal the "pride of India" and referred to it as a "world class monument", while addressing a rally in Gorakhpur.