Political Furor over 'Sengol' in Parliament: SP MP Demands the Constitution be in its place, BJP hits back

Samajwadi Party MP RK Chaudhary on Thursday demanded the removal of the sacred “Sengol” questioning its relevance inside the Lok Sabha chamber. The MP demanded that a large replica of the Constitution should replace the Sengol in the Parliament in order to “save Democracy”. Chaudhary’s demand has stoked a massive political controversy, with BJP leaders accusing the Opposition of “disrespecting” Indian culture.

"The adoption of the Constitution marked the beginning of democracy in the country, and the Constitution is its symbol. The BJP government in its last term installed 'Sengol' next to the Speaker's chair. Sengol is a Tamil word that means Rajdand. Rajdand also means the king's stick. We have become independent after the age of kings. Now, every man and woman who is an eligible voter chooses the government to run this country. So will the country run by Constitution or by a king's stick?" questioned Samajwadi Party MP RK Chaudhary.

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav came out in support of Chaudhary. “When 'sengol' was installed, the Prime Minister had bowed to it. But he forgot to bow while taking oath this time. I think our MP wanted to remind the Prime Minister about it,” said Yadav.

Chaudhary’s statement drew prompt reactions from BJP leaders, who accused the the Mohanlalganj MP of “disrespecting” Indian culture, and demeaning Tamil culture. “The Samajwadi Party has opposed Sengol in Parliament. It says that it is 'Raja ka Dand', if it was 'Raja ka Dand', why did Jawaharlal Nehru accept the Sengol? This shows the mindset of the Samajwadi Party. First, they attack and abuse Ramcharitmanas, now Sengol, which is part of Indian and Tamil culture,” said BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla.

The ongoing political row centers on the sacred ‘Sengol’, a handcrafted, gold-plated sceptre which is about 5 feet long and is located next to the speaker’s chair in Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi installed the sacred ‘Sengol’ in the Lok Sabha during the inauguration of the new parliament building in May last year. PM Modi was handed over the historic Sengol by high priests in Tamil Nadu and he decided to adopt the Sengol as a national symbol of the Amrit Kaal. This is the same Sengol which was adopted by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the night of August 14.

From the beginning of the 18th Lok Sabha session, the Constitution has been a common sight in INDIA bloc gatherings. On the first day of the session, top INDIA leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Sudip Bandyopadhyay, staged a demonstration on Parliament premises holding copies of the Constitution. The INDIA MPs also held copies of the Indian Constitution while taking their oath.