New Delhi: The much talked-about sengol is back in the news, with Samajwadi Party MP R.K.Chaudhary demanding the sceptre be replaced with the Constitution in Parliament and calling it an anachronistic symbol of monarchy in a democratic India.
His letter to pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab sparked a war of words between the INDIA and NDA leaders.
After taking oath as MP, Chaudhary submitted a letter to Mahtab questioning the presence of the sengol next to the Speaker’s chair.
“The Constitution is the symbol of democracy while the sengol is the symbol of monarchy. Our Parliament is a temple of democracy, not a place of royalty. I request the Sengol be removed and replaced by a large replica of the Constitution,” the Mohanlalganj MP wrote.
The Dalit leader remained unperturbed in the face of attack from the ruling alliance for his comments about the sengol.
“Whether the country will run according to the Constitution or ‘raja ka danda’ (read, sengol). The sengol means ‘raj dand’ or ‘raja ka danda’. Will this country be run by the Constitution or ‘danda’? It’s necessary that the sengol be removed from Parliament to save the Constitution,” he told ThePrint.
#WATCH | Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha MP RK Chaudhary says, "The Constitution is the symbol of democracy. In its previous tenure, the BJP govt under the leadership of PM Modi installed 'Sengol' in Parliament. 'Sengol' means 'Raj-Dand'. It also means 'Raja ka Danda'. After ending the… pic.twitter.com/LXM8iS0ssO
— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2024
Last year, the sengol was brought from Allahabad Museum and brought to Delhi before it was installed in the newly constructed Parliament building in May. The central government had invited Adheenams and Oduvaars of Thevaram, Tamil Nadu, to be a part of the inauguration ceremony.
As his MP’s letter sparked a controversy, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav defended Chaudhary and took a dig at the prime minister.
“Our MP raised the issue because the prime minister bowed his head during its (sengol) installation in the new Parliament. But he forgot this while taking the oath. Maybe our MP was reminding him,” the Kannauj MP said.
Chaudhary found support from colleagues from the INDIA bloc including Misa Bharti, Manoj Jha of the RJD and Renuka Chowdhury of the Congress.
“The sengol should be sent to a museum. This is not a symbol of democracy but that of monarchy,” Misa said.
Jha said that the suggestion is apt given the prevailing situation. “The PM has the conduct of kings — jewellery, dresses… It is better to put a replica of the Constitution. It will (help in) running the country,” he said.
“The Samajwadi Party MP’s demand is not unjustified. The BJP, without taking the view of others, established sengol in Parliament; there was no consensus on this issue. (But) parliament run through consensus,” Congress Renuka Chowdhury told reporters.
Union ministers Jayant Chaudhary and Chirag Paswan defended the installation of the sengol in Parliament, while many NDA leaders termed the SP MP’s demand an unnecessary controversy.
“The Samajwadi Party never hesitates to attack the Indian ‘sanskriti’ (culture). They say the sengol should be removed from Parliament which is an insult to Tamil Nadu,” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said.
He further asked whether the DMK and its leader M.K. Stalin would accept such an insult of the sengol that comes from Tamil Nadu.
Poonawalla further said that the SP was openly disrespecting Tamil and Indian culture.
BJP MP Ravi Kishan slammed the opposition for making such a demand in the first place. “Tomorrow, they will ask to remove Lord Ram from Ayodhya,” the Gorakhpur MP said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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