Mamata Banerjee criticises BJP MLA's comment on Taj Mahal

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today criticised BJP MLA Sangeet Som for questioning the Taj Mahal's place in India's heritage, and said the day was not far when the saffron party would try to change the country's name to rewrite history.

She also blamed the saffron party of making "divisive statements" with a "political agenda".

Placing the Taj Mahal in the crosshairs of another controversy, Som had yesterday questioned the 17th century architectural marvel's place in India's heritage and said history would be rewritten to erase Mughal emperors from it.

Som, the party's legislator from Sardhana, also distorted history to say it was built by an emperor who had imprisoned his father and targeted Hindus.

Condemning the comment, Banerjee said, "The less we speak about BJP leaders the better. I feel ashamed to speak on the comments made by them. They are not doing any development work. They are only making such divisive statements with a political agenda. We don't believe in dividing people like this."

"What the BJP is practising is not democracy but autocracy. The day is not far away when BJP will try to change the name of this country in order to rewrite history," she said.