03-17-2005, 01:04 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Give us Taj by April 19: Wakf Board </b>
Pioneer News Service/ Vijay Upadhyay/ Lucknow/ Agra
The Mulayam Singh Government and the BJP have locked horns over the ownership of the Taj Mahal. While the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Wakf Board (UPSWB) has reiterated its stand on its ownership of Taj Mahal, senior BJP leader Lalji Tandon has said that Wakf Board cannot even pay salaries to its employees, so how can it take care of such a monument which has an international repute.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->He said that the Taj Mahal, however beautifully it may have been constructed, is in fact a graveyard of Mughal emperor Shahjahan, his wife and other subjects as is evident from the numerous graves scattered around in the monument premises and these facts alone make the Taj Mahal a property of the "Wakf". Besides, Mr. Usman said, <b>the Emperor Shahjahan himself had written in his will that the Taj Mahal, which was the eternal resting place of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, should be handed over to the Wakf after his death and a "Mutwalli" be appointed as a caretaker of the mausoleum. </b> <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
When asked about the action of UPSWB if the ASI decided against handing over the possession of the monument, he said that in that case, the board shall move the Supreme Court and get its possession restored as the board has managed to obtain copies of the original will of Emperor Shahjahan which is stored in the London Museum, besides some more documentation proving the Taj Mahal as a Wakf property.
Notably, the <b>Taj Mahal earns more than 15 crore rupees every year </b>as ticketing income from tourists and besides historic evidence, the UPSWB claim on the monument also seems to be driven from the fact that <b>the board gets a seven percent cut on the income of every Wakf property in the state </b>and in the case of the Taj, this income could be in the tune of crores of rupees every year, which could help the cash-strapped UPSWB a great deal.
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I told you money money, it is funny is the problem.
Indian Govt without any hesitation grab any temple money and without shame support minority place of worship with temple funds. <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
For vote Mullah yadav and S Gandhi family will give Taj mahal to Wakf Board which is good, <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> i hope Wakf should take responsibility to maintain Taj also. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Pioneer News Service/ Vijay Upadhyay/ Lucknow/ Agra
The Mulayam Singh Government and the BJP have locked horns over the ownership of the Taj Mahal. While the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Wakf Board (UPSWB) has reiterated its stand on its ownership of Taj Mahal, senior BJP leader Lalji Tandon has said that Wakf Board cannot even pay salaries to its employees, so how can it take care of such a monument which has an international repute.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->He said that the Taj Mahal, however beautifully it may have been constructed, is in fact a graveyard of Mughal emperor Shahjahan, his wife and other subjects as is evident from the numerous graves scattered around in the monument premises and these facts alone make the Taj Mahal a property of the "Wakf". Besides, Mr. Usman said, <b>the Emperor Shahjahan himself had written in his will that the Taj Mahal, which was the eternal resting place of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, should be handed over to the Wakf after his death and a "Mutwalli" be appointed as a caretaker of the mausoleum. </b> <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> When asked about the action of UPSWB if the ASI decided against handing over the possession of the monument, he said that in that case, the board shall move the Supreme Court and get its possession restored as the board has managed to obtain copies of the original will of Emperor Shahjahan which is stored in the London Museum, besides some more documentation proving the Taj Mahal as a Wakf property.
Notably, the <b>Taj Mahal earns more than 15 crore rupees every year </b>as ticketing income from tourists and besides historic evidence, the UPSWB claim on the monument also seems to be driven from the fact that <b>the board gets a seven percent cut on the income of every Wakf property in the state </b>and in the case of the Taj, this income could be in the tune of crores of rupees every year, which could help the cash-strapped UPSWB a great deal.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I told you money money, it is funny is the problem.
Indian Govt without any hesitation grab any temple money and without shame support minority place of worship with temple funds. <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
For vote Mullah yadav and S Gandhi family will give Taj mahal to Wakf Board which is good, <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> i hope Wakf should take responsibility to maintain Taj also. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->