Taj Mahal Contributed to India's Growth? Tejasvi Surya's 'Return of Mughal Era' Remark, Salman Nizami's Rejoinder Trigger Debate on Twitter

New Delhi, February 7: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Tejasvi Surya's remarks on Mughals and Congress leader Salman Nizami's rejoinder has triggered a debate on Twitter, with netizens discussing whether the Mughal monuments such as Taj Mahal contributed to India's growth. The debate started with Tejasvi Surya's warning that the majority community needs to remain vigilant or else Mughal rule will return to the country as he criticised the anti-CAA protest at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh.

Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Surya said, "Unless the majority community remains vigilant, the days of Mughal Raj may not be far away." The BJP MP made the remarks in the context of the protest at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Surya's remarks did not go well with many who hit out at him for "spreading hate". Why Citizenship Amendment Act+NRC Raise Fear And Concerns: A Multi-Dimensional Take.

Taking a jibe at Surya and BJP supporters, a Twitter user wrote: "If Mughal Raj means bhakts roaming around in burqas then maybe he has a point." This was in the context of spotting of burka-clad Gunja Kapoor at Shaheen Bagh. "Which school did this young man go to? His civics and history teachers should please stand up and take responsibility for this travesty," another user tweeted.

Here Are Reactions to Tejasvi Surya's 'Mughal' Remark:

Apparently, reacting to Surya's remarks, Salman Nizami said monuments built by Mughals like Taj Mahal are generating revenue in crore for the country. "India's GDP under Mughal rule- 25%. Britishers Looted India GDP- 2%. India's GDP under Cong rule- 10%. India's GDP under BJP rule- 5%. Still, India’s top 5 revenue generating monuments including Taj Mahal were all built by Muslim rulers. Revenue per year (200 crore) (sic)," Nizami said in a tweet.

In another tweet, the Congress leader wrote: "Mughals were looters? So, Boycott Taj Mahal, Red fort etc and tell Modi Ji not to use 200 crore revenue generated annually from monuments built by Mughals (sic)." His tweets evoked reactions from right-wing supporters who condemned the Mughal era.

Here Are Reactions to Salman Nizami's Tweets:

The Citizenship Amendment Act has trigerred widespread protests with critics calling it exclusionist legislation. The CAA gives Indian citizenship to all immigrants fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan - but not if they are Muslim. Many see the CAA exercise through the prism of nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) drive. While non-Muslims left out of the proposed nationwide NRC would be able to get citizenship under the CAB, Muslims who could not make the list may be deported.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 07, 2020 11:16 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).