Yogi on Taj Mahal: Does not matter who built it & why, was built by blood & sweat of Indian labourers

Yogi Adityanath has said it does not matter who built the Taj Mahal, or why it was built. 

But that it was built with the blood and sweat of Indian labourers. 

"It does not matter who built it and for what reason; it was built by blood and sweat of Indian labourers," ANI quoted him as saying. 

He did however add that the Taj was "very important for us, especially from tourism perspective". 

The controvery had been brewed yesterday by BJP MLA Sangeet Som when he was quoted as having said the Taj was a blot on Indian culture. 

That its maker -- Shahjahan -- had put his father in prison, and that he had "wanted to wipe out HIndus". 

WATCH: MLA Sangeet Som says Taj creator 'wanted to wipe out Hindus'

To which the SP's Azam Khan had replied that by that logic, India's Parliament and Rashtrapati Bhavan -- built by the British -- were symbols of slavery. 

And that they too should be demolished. 

Yogi's most recent comments on the Taj came after Khan's. 

Yogi had earlier said the Taj was not indicative of Indian culture. 

Taj Mahal, minarets not representative of Indian culture: Yogi Adityanath

He was at the time complaining about the practice of gifting visiting foreign dignitaries replicas of the Taj. 

The Taj is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. 

Yogi's government seemed to spite the Taj again recently when a booklet brought out by his government's tourism department left out the Taj from a list of the state's tourist spots. 

Also read: Taj Mahal not on list of UP tourist spots

ANI also reported Yogi as saying he would be visiting Agra on October 25, and that while there he would visit the Taj. 

Also read: Yogi government plans 100-mt-tall Lord Ram statue in Ayodhya