Taj Mahal should be declared a Waqf Board property: Azam Khan

[Vishwarupa]

Taj Mahal may be the next political battleground between Uttar Pradesh and the Centre.

UP's Urban Development and Minority Affairs Minister Azam Khan has said that the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, should be declared a property of the state's Waqf Board.

Azam KhanAzam Khan wants the Taj Mahal to be declared a property of the state Waqf Board.Azam, who is also waqf minister of the state, had said on November 13 that the Taj Mahal should be declared a waqf property and he should be given its charge. He was speaking at a meeting of Muslim leaders in Lucknow where member of waqf boards had gathered.

Meanwhile, Lucknow Eidgah Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangimahli, who has been close to the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) has demanded the chief minister, at the same platform, to throw open the monument to Muslims.

"We should be allowed to offer prayers at the Taj Mahal five times a day. We have handed over a memorandum to the chief minister and he has taken it positively," he had said.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, on other hand, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make e-ticketing arrangements for visitors to the 17th century monument as soon as possible.

Akhilesh said, "Domestic and international tourists are forced to stand in serpentine queues for hours at the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) windows to purchase tickets. The state government has held several meetings with the officers of the Union culture ministry. The minister of state for tourism had also announced that the e-ticketing provision would start this year but nothing has been done thereafter."

He also said that the security at the monument, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan as an epitome of his love for wife Mumtaz Mahal, should match that at an airport. Moreover, ASI should open more ticket windows to boost tourism.

He added, "Besides this, Xray machines, Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMD) and frisking machines should be increased at the Taj Mahal. This will give a fillip to both domestic and foreign tourist flow in the Taj City. It is the endeavour of the state government to provide world-class services to the tourists."

Lucknow Eidgah Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed FirangimahliWe should be allowed to offer prayers at the Taj Mahal five times a day - Lucknow Eidgah Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed FirangimahliThe chief minister, who patted his own back in taking the initiative to develop Agra as a tourist destination, said his government has started a Rs. 167-crore project for rolling out international-level facilities to tourists.

Reacting to the chief minister's letter, state BJP spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak said, "The Samajwadi Party is in power for the third time but there is still no airport in Agra. Akhilesh has a proposal to build an airport somewhere between Agra and Mathura but it is still in its infancy. The law and order situation is so bad in the state that tourists fear coming here. Not a single month passes without crime against a foreign tourist in Agra."

It was only on Monday that SP President Mulayam Singh Yadav said that the state government was honestly working to keep Agra clean.

While talking to MAIL TODAY, an ASI officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Union cultural ministry is already working on extending more amenities to tourists. The officer added, "Besides providing better services, there is a plan for eticketing. It is a different matter, however, that the state government is trying to take credit for it."

Taj Mahal should be declared a Waqf Board property: Azam Khan : India, News - India Today

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we should thank Azam khan for creating such a issue out of Taj Mahal. Center should rename it as Tejomaya temple & should hold Shivaratri festival every year. Its time we show this as Hindu temple to the whole world.

 

[pmaitra]

Taj Mahal should be under ASI. There should be a limit to the number of people visiting it each day. It is a tomb, not a mosque. No one should be praying at the Taj Mahal. Yes, there are two mosques a little distance from, and on either side of, the Taj Mahal, but they are there to balance the whole structure, and are too old to be used. They should be preserved, along with the Taj Mahal, as archaeological treasures.

If the Centre renames Taj Mahal as "Tejo Maya Temple," India will become a laughing stock in front of the whole world.

 

[Ray]

The Waqf Boards are hot beds of corruption and are looting the Muslim society.

In fact, Bukhari, who is the servant or employee of the Jama Mazjid Waqf Board, cannot claim the Jama Mazjid as his personal fief or property.

The central government and Wakf Board on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that the anointment ceremony of Jama Masjid Shahi Imam's son as the Naib Imam (deputy Imam) was "illegal" and has no legal sanctity.
A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw was told by the Delhi Wakf Board that it has not given any legal sanctity on appointment of Imam and will soon hold a meeting in this regard. The anointment ceremony is scheduled for 22 Nov. The court after hearing the arguments reserved its order and will pass an order later in the day.
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/a...-imams-son-illegal-says-delhi-hc-1812919.html

 

[Kshatriya87]

This is insane. Tourism will be hampered incredibly if people are allowed to pray there everyday, five times a day. Also, it will become a Muslim heritage site instead of Indian heritage site. This makes no sense.