Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Thursday said the Taj Mahal did not “reflect Indian culture”, The Telegraph reported. He was addressing a rally in Bihar’s Darbhanga city – his first visit to the state since he took over as the chief minister of UP.

“Foreign dignitaries visiting the country used to be gifted replicas of the Taj Mahal and other minarets, which did not reflect Indian culture,” Adityanath said. However, now epics like the Bhagvad Gita and the Ramayan were offered as gifts to the foreign dignitaries, the UP CM added.


At the rally organised to celebrate the Narendra Modi government’s three years at the Centre, Adityanath also took on the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar over law and order situation in Bihar, PTI reported. “My government will not allow anyone to break the law,” he said, standing behind a bullet-proof glass. “It is the government’s duty to guarantee the security of all and the law will deal firmly with those violating rules.”

He further criticised the Bihar chief minister for not having taken a stand on triple talaq. “You [Nitish Kumar] have not spoken a word on triple talaq – a raging issue affecting Muslim women in the country and is being dealt by the judiciary,” Adityanath said. “Why are secular leaders silent on the issue? Why do you want to deprive dignified life to these women?”

He also dismissed the alliance between Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. “Nature will not accept this mismatch alliance. A cleanliness drive will be conducted to oust this alliance,” he said, according to ANI. The UP chief minister also said he was confident that the BJP will form government in Bihar after the 2020 Assembly elections in the state.