BJP president J P Nadda on Wednesday lauded the decision to install the sacred Sengol in the new Parliament building as a "historic moment" and said this emphasises the emotional and spiritual integration of India from north to south.
"Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's decision to install the sacred Sengol in the New Parliament building is a historic moment. The sacred Sengol is of national significance and holds historical importance. It was first received by Jawaharlal Nehru on August 14, 1947, in presence of leaders like Shri Rajendra Prasad, from priests specially flown in from Tamil Nadu," he tweeted.
He noted a solemn and sacred Tamil tradition of 'Sengol Vesting Ceremony' accompanied by a recital of 11 verses from the Theveram text, invoking the blessings of Shiva, for the ruler took place just before Nehru hoisted the national flag and made his 'Tryst with Destiny' address, symbolising the transfer of power.
The Sengol represents the highest moral authority to rule, Nadda added.
"I thank the Prime Minister for bringing back to life this very important aspect of our history - that the transfer of power to the people of India from a foreign ruler was not direct but through a spiritual process, as known to ancient India. This also emphasises the emotional and spiritual integration of India, from North to South," he said.
There is no more appropriate occasion than 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' to recall the event on the eve of India's independence and no better place for the sacred Sengol than the hallowed portals of the new Parliament, the BJP president said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah earlier in the day announced that the historical sceptre from Tamil Nadu will find a place in the new Parliament building to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28.