New Delhi:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took up a broom and swept the roads near Western Gate of Taj Mahal under the Narendra Modi government initiated Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on Thursday.
Amid the Taj Mahal controversy row, the UP chief minister is visiting the 17th-century monument to love. Taj Mahal has been in the eye of the storm since the Uttar Pradesh government dropped one of the seven wonders of the world from the booklet of Tourism department, drawing flak from various quarters.Â
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's visit to Agra is seen as a damage control move after several BJP legislators made controversial comments on the monuments stature.Â
Here are the live updates:
# TajMahal was built by blood & sweat of Indian labourers. The onus of its security & preservation lies on our shoulders: UP CM in Agra
#TajMahal was built by blood & sweat of Indian labourers. The onus of its security & preservation lies on our shoulders: UP CM in Agra pic.twitter.com/rf6JdJMnHx
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 26, 2017
#Â Everyday 40,000-50,000 tourists come to Agra, if we can provide them adequate security, the number will rise to 2.5 Lakh - 3 Lakh: UP CM
# Only those people are raising questions over my Agra visit who have divided the society on the basis of castes: UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Agra
Only those ppl are raising questions over my Agra visit who have divided the society on the basis of castes: UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Agra pic.twitter.com/pK5lFI3lpB
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 26, 2017
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will address a public rally at GIC ground in Agra.“The monument is open for tourists and the entry will be allowed as per the routine process. The security has been stepped up,†a Police Official said.
Agra: UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath takes part in a cleanliness drive at the Western Gate of Taj Mahal. pic.twitter.com/g0IzxUlLNG
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 26, 2017
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had taken a potshot at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath when he wrote on social media, “Andher Nagari Chaupat Raja.†All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi had asked if the government would tell tourists not to visit the monument.
Yogi Adityanath’s visit is the first by a BJP CM of the state. According to his programme schedule, CM Adityanath is staying for half an hour at the graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz and visit the Shah Jahan park nearby.
The chief minister is also inspecting various places along the way, inside and outside the monument.
