The 'Sengol', a Chola-era spectre made of silver with a coat of gold, is a symbol of the transfer of power from the British in 1947.
Credit: PTI File Photo
RK Chaudhary, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP has recently questioned the Sengol’s presence in the Parliament, and called it a symbol of monarchy. This has invited a great deal of political debate.
Chaudhary said, "The Constitution is the symbol of democracy. The BJP government, under PM Modi, installed the Sengol in Parliament. 'Sengol' means 'Raj-Dand' or 'Raja ka Danda'. After ending the princely order, the country became independent. Will the country be run by 'Raja ka danda' or the Constitution? I demand that Sengol be removed from Parliament to save the Constitution."
Party chief Akhilesh Yadav defending RK Chaudhary's statement said, "I think our MP might be saying that because when it (Sengol) was installed, the PM had bowed before it. He perhaps forgot it while taking oath. Maybe my SP said that to remind him of it...When the PM forgot to bow before it, maybe he too wanted something else."
Supporting Chaudhary's demand, criticizing the government for creating high drama during the Parliament inauguration, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that his Samajwadi Party colleague came up with a good suggestion.
Shehzad Poonawalla, BJP spokesperson condemned the Samajwadi Party’s stance over their party members statement and accused them of disrespecting Indian and Tamil culture.
Poonawalla said, "The Samajwadi Party opposes Sengol in Parliament, calling it 'Raja ka Dand'. If it was so, why did Jawaharlal Nehru accept it? This shows their mindset. They attack Ramcharitmanas and now Sengol. Does DMK support this insult? They must clarify."
BJP MP Ravi Kishan said that the opposition's stance was similar to that of trying to replace Lord Ram, thereby strongly criticising the Samajwadi Party MP.
"They want to replace Lord Ram, the other day they compared their MP with Lord Ram," he asserted.
Jitan Ram Manjhi backed Prime Minister Modi's conduct, saying that everything he has done in relation to the Sengol is right and ought to stay that way.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Chirag Paswan expressed confusion over Chaudhary's controversial approach, questioning whether he was elected for development or to engage in such divisive politics.
On the other hand Chirag Paswan said that he was confused whether Chaudhary was elected for development or to engage in divisive politics. He emphasised that the Prime Minister now honours symbols like the Sengol, which had been disregarded for many years. He also questioned the opposition leaders' inability to take a more constructive stance on politics.
PM Narendra Modi had installed the historic Sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber, next to the Speaker's chair in the new Parliament building, on May 28, 2023.