Leaders of the RSS and BJP have downplayed speculation that after the verdict in the Ayodhya case, demands for 'rebuilding' other Hindu monuments allegedly demolished by Islamic rulers will emerge. But BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy is not one who has played by the rules of political correctness.
Taking to Twitter on Monday, Swamy spoke about a contentious issue he has raised over the years: The origins of the Taj Mahal. Swamy tweeted that idols in the basement of the Taj Mahal were taken away “during UPA period”.
In Taj Mahal an insider told me that during UPA period, officials around 2011 the idols in the basement were taken away. I intend to find out. But the records on area acquisition by Shahajahan are safe in Jaipur
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) November 18, 2019
Swamy tweeted, “In Taj Mahal an insider told me that during UPA period, officials around 2011 the idols in the basement were taken away. I intend to find out. But the records on area acquisition by Shahajahan are safe in Jaipur.”
In October 2017, Swamy claimed he had accessed documents that showed the area where the Taj Mahal was built had been "stolen" by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan from Hindu kings in Jaipur.
Swamy had then told news agency ANI, “There is evidence on record that Shah Jahan forced the Raja-Maharajas of Jaipur to sell this land on which Taj Mahal presently is standing, and he gave them a compensation of 40 villages, which is nothing compared to the value of the property."
Swamy added that the documents suggested there was a temple at the site of the Taj Mahal. However, he added, it is still not clear “whether Taj Mahal was built after the demolition of a temple”. Moreover, Swamy declared the BJP had no intention to demolish the Taj Mahal and instead wanted to restore only three temples destroyed in the Mughal era: the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the shrine to Krishna in Mathura and the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.
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In 2018, Swamy tweeted that he had a "copy of the genuine Firman issued by Shahajahan to take Jaipur Raja’s property to 'build' Taj Mahal".
Swamy's tweet on idols in the Taj Mahal came in response to a question on a post made earlier on Monday. Swamy had tweeted, he would be in "Ayodhya on November 23rd, and soon after in Varanasi to visit Kashi Vishvanath for on the spot investigation".
