New Delhi: Amid the row surrounding the inauguration of the new parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, another controversy has surfaced regarding the historic ‘sengol‘ sceptre. Following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s Wednesday announcement about the sengol being placed beside the chair of the Lok Sabha Speaker in the new Parliament building, the BJP had criticised the Congress for allegedly displaying disdain towards Hindu traditions by calling the ‘sengol’ a “golden stick” gifted to India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru and tucking it away in a museum.
The Congress has, in turn, said that there is no documented evidence of Lord Mountbatten, C. Rajagopalachari, and Nehru having described the sengol as a symbol of transfer of power from the British to India, as claimed by the BJP.
In light of this, Home Minister Amit Shah took to Twitter Friday to criticise the Congress party’s claims and for reducing the sengol to a mere “walking stick”.
Why does the Congress party hate Indian traditions and culture so much? A sacred Sengol was given to Pandit Nehru by a holy Saivite Mutt from Tamil Nadu to symbolize India’s freedom but it was banished to a museum as a ‘walking stick’.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 26, 2023
Earlier in the day, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh had tweeted that “All claims to this effect are plain and simple — BOGUS (sic). Wholly and completely manufactured in the minds of a few and dispersed into WhatsApp, and now to the drum-beaters in the media.”
He alleged that Modi and his “drum beaters” were using the sceptre “for their political ends in Tamil Nadu.”
Is it any surprise that the new Parliament is being consecrated with typically false narratives from the WhatsApp University? The BJP/RSS Distorians stand exposed yet again with Maximum Claims, Minimum Evidence.
1. A majestic sceptre conceived of by a religious establishment in… pic.twitter.com/UXoqUB5OkC
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 26, 2023
Shah, in his response, asked the party why it “hates Indian traditions and culture so much”. He added that “A sacred sengol was given to Pandit Nehru by a holy Saivite Mutt from Tamil Nadu to symbolize India’s freedom but it was banished to a museum as a ‘walking stick’.
Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed told ThePrint that the BJP is “diverting the issue”.
“The principal issue is why the President of India has not been invited to the inauguration of the Parliament building. BJP does politics of distraction. Why is Amit Shah not visiting Manipur where more than 70 people have been killed? Why is he giving a lecture on Hinduism and sengol? He should save the people of Manipur first.”
The Congress, along with 19 other Opposition parties has announced their decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building stating that sidelining President Droupadi Murmu — who, they believe, should have been the one to inaugurate the building — is an assault on democracy.
Several members of the BJP, including party’s national president J.P. Nadda and several Union ministers, have criticised the Congress for boycotting the inauguration and questioning the significance of the sengol.
Speaking to ThePrint, sources in the BJP told ThePrint, “The sengol holds great significance in Hindu culture, with documented evidence tracing back to the eighth century as a sacred symbol. Several magazines and articles have documented this.”
“It is important to highlight how the Congress party has disregarded this rich tradition of Hindu culture for a long time. India’s first PM Nehru had received the sengol from a priest in Tamil Nadu. The Congress party will not benefit politically from attacking the sengol or boycotting Parliamentary functions, as their disregard for this sacred symbol may further alienate Hindus.”
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in a video available on his Twitter handle, referred to an article in Time magazine to substantiate the claim that the sengol was presented to Nehru as a symbol of the transfer of power. Meanwhile, Nadda criticised the Congress and other Opposition parties for their alleged “lack of commitment” to democracy, accusing them of prioritising dynastic politics over the welfare of the nation.
Union minister Smriti Irani, speaking to media persons, said: “Sengol, which is a symbol of our freedom, was kept in a dark corner of a museum by the Gandhi family as Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘walking stick’ for years. It shows their (lack of) faith and respect for Hindu culture.”
In a tweet on the sengol row, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Ahilesh Yadav said: “‘Sengol’ is a symbol of transfer of power… BJP seems to have accepted the time has come to hand over power.”
Also read: Why a historic ‘sengol’ is being installed in new Parliament building & how it was made