Waqf Board And Larger Agenda

[Guest]

Letter to pionner..

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Monumental absurdity
Sir—Apropos the editorial, “Whose Taj Mahal?” (March 23), “claims” by Muslim bodies to ‘ownership’ of the Taj Mahal are both illogical and unjustified. But they also seem the product of some deeper conspiracy against India’s democratic and secular foundations in general and the Hindu community in particular. The Taj Mahal is a monument of great historical and architectural importance. Though built by a Mughal emperor, it is yet cherished as a monument to national pride by all Indians irrespective of their caste or creed. The Taj is national property, and its upkeep a collective responsibility. No particular individual or community, be it Sunnis, Shias—or even the descendants of Shah Jahan!—have any usurpation rights over the monument. As for I&B Minister Jaipal Reddy’s statement that “the claim is not objectionable at all”, I can only say that he belongs to the very pseudo-secular breed that never tires of minority appeasement and Hindu-bashing. Would he ever consider the legitimate claim of Hindus to their temples in Ayodhya, Kashi or Mathura? It would not come as a surprise to me if the UPA’s self-proclaimed ‘secularists’ actually allowed a takeover of the Taj Mahal.
Atri Joshi
via e-mail<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->