Haryana Minister Anil Vij calls Taj Mahal a beautiful cemetery

Amidst all the controversy surrounding the Taj Mahal, Haryana Cabinet Minister Anil Vij on 20 October termed the world famous monument a "beautiful cemetery".

Speaking to ANI, Vij said that since Taj Mahal is a cemetery, people consider it to be ominous. He said, "Taj Mahal is a beautiful cemetery. It is true that the building is pretty and has graves inside. Since it is a cemetery, people consider it to be ominous and do not keep a model of it in their homes."

Vij who is a Cabinet Minister with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Haryana government is known for his controversial tweets and statements.

Taj Mahal has been in news from the time the Uttar Pradesh government dropped it from its tourism booklet, following which BJP's Sangeet Som supported it by calling it a blot on Indian culture.

Apart from that, BJP MP Vinay Katiyar recently said that the Taj Mahal is actually a Shiva temple.

On 19 October, the Kerala Tourism Department took to Twitter thanking the iconic Taj Mahal for 'inspiring millions to discover India'. 

-ANI