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 Khan wants the Taj Mahal to be declared a property of the state Waqf Board. Azam 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."

We should be allowed to offer prayers at the Taj Mahal five times a day - Lucknow Eidgah Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangimahli We should be allowed to offer prayers at the Taj Mahal five times a day - Lucknow Eidgah Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangimahli

The 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."