New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Sangeet Som on Monday stirred a controversy when he called Taj Mahal “a blot on Indian culture” and a monument “built by traitors.”

“Many people were worried that the Taj Mahal was removed from the list of historical places in the Uttar Pradesh’s(UP) tourism booklet. What history are we talking about? The man who built Taj Mahal imprisoned his father. He wanted to massacre Hindus. If this is history, then it is very unfortunate and we will change this history, I guarantee you,” Som said while addressing a rally in Meerut.

The opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) condemned Som’s charges.

“Bharatiya Janata Party is preaching hatred. History cannot be changed. We must learn from history, both good and bad. These comments are by people who are stuck in history and have a narrow mindset,” SP spokesperson C.P. Rai told Gulf News.

“Will [Prime Minister Narendra Modi] stop hoisting national flag from a monument built by traitors [Red Fort]? I challenge them to say it to Unesco that they should remove it from list of world heritage sites.”

Former UP Chief Minister (CM) and SP chief Akhilesh Singh Yadav had earlier defended the Taj stating that it continued to be “an architectural marvel and a much-visited monument that generates employment for a large number of people.”

Reacting to Som’s comment, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, “the Red Fort was built by the same group of traitors. Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi stop hoisting the flag from there? Can Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ask domestic, foreign tourists not to visit the Taj?”

But veteran BJP leader G.V.L. Narasimha Rao defended Som and said the latter was entitled to his opinion.

“There have been attempts to distort Indian history. It is a symbol of barbarism and it is a monument. I will say what I have to say. As far as Som is concerned, he has the freedom of speech. That is his personal view and there need not be a party line on every statement,” Rao said.

Responding to the controversy, UP state government said the Taj Mahal was part of India’s “proud heritage.”

“It might be his individual opinion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and I call it part of our cultural heritage. It is heritage and it is a major tourist spot. We are committed to the upliftment of Agra and Taj. From a tourist’s point of view, we are proud of the Taj Mahal,” cabinet minister in UP state government Reeta Bahuguna Joshi told media.

Interestingly, the UP tourism booklet was released last week to mark six months of the Adityanath government. It featured various tourist attractions in the state but did not include the Taj Mahal.

Earlier, CM Yogi had said that Taj had no connection with India’s culture or heritage.