New Delhi: A controversy has been created over absence of Taj Mahal from Uttar Pradesh government’s booklet on existing and future tourism projects.

 After the opposition's fusillade describing the Yogi government as "communal", the state tourism ministry issued a press release detailing a slew of projects it had initiated for the Taj Mahal and surrounding areas.

"The government, with the help of the World Bank, has proposed projects worth Rs 370 crore, of which projects worth Rs 156 crore are meant for development of the Taj Mahal and Taj Mahal region," the UP information department release said.

"Proposals for these projects have been prepared in consultation with the World Bank under the pro-poor tourism scheme. These have been sent to the Centre and are expected to be cleared in the next three months," it added. The booklet was not meant to be a promotional brochure about the state's tourist attractions, but meant to highlight the UP government's ongoing and future plans in the tourism sector. It was brought out on the completion of six months of the Yogi government.

Controversy erupted after the booklet, "Uttar Pradesh Paryatan: Apar Sambhavnayen (Uttar Pradesh Tourism: Its High Potential)", was released last week by tourism minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi.

The booklet, which has a photograph of the famous Ganga aarti in Varanasi, speaks about work done and development projects for Varanasi, Mathura, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Devipatan, Naimisharanya, Allahabad, Chitrakoot, Kushinagar, Bundelkhand, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra.

Since the booklet was released three months after CM Yogi Aditya Nath said at a rally in Darbhanga in Bihar that "foreign dignitaries visiting the country used to be gifted replicas of Taj Mahal, which did not reflect Indian culture", the opposition began pouring criticism on the Yogi government.

CPM member Brinda Karat said, "I believe that for people all over the world, one of the major spots for tourists is the Taj Mahal. It also supports the economy of UP. This is truly made in India. Therefore, people will only laugh at him and his complete ignorance of history and importance of preserving the beauty of Taj Mahal."

SP member Naresh Agrawal said, "Across the world, India is known for the Taj Mahal. But the BJPgovernment in UP wants to give the state a new identity... The UP government now seems determined to give the state an identity that suits the communal forces."