New Delhi: The ‘sengol’ installed next to the Speaker’s chair in Lok Sabha has emerged as the latest flashpoint this Parliament session after Opposition MPs questioned its relevance in a democracy and the BJP accused them of disrespecting Indian culture.
Samajwadi Party (SP) MP RK Chaudhary has triggered a controversy by demanding the removal of the sacred ‘Sengol’ from the Lok Sabha, prompting reactions from the Opposition and BJP leaders.
Claiming it as a ‘Raja Ka danda’ (the king’s stick) or an anachronistic symbol of monarchy in democracy, Chaudhary said that the Sengol should be replaced by a large replica of the Constitution in the Parliament
The SP MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Mohanlalganj accused the BJP-led central government of establishing a ‘monarchy’ by installing the Sengol in the new Parliament. He said that would the country be governed by the ‘Raja ka danda’ or the Constitution.
“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 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,” news agency ANI quoted Chaudhary as saying.
The SP leader’s comments drew reactions from the leaders across the party lines. Although the INDIA bloc leaders supported the move, the BJP-led NDA slammed Chaudhary for demeaning the Tamil culture.
The BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla asked that if the SP resembles Sengol with the ‘Raja ka Dand’, then why did Jawaharlal Nehru accept the Sengol.
“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,” Poonawalla said to ANI.
The BJP leader further turned the dice towards the INDIA bloc’s ally DMK and asked if they support the insult of the Tamil culture and Sengol.
“Does DMK support this kind of insult of Sengol, they must clarify. The question is that the mindset to reduce Sengol to a walking stick for decades has once again come in the form of the Samajwadi Party. They do not respect Indian culture, they do not respect Tamil culture, and therefore they are again insulting Sengol. The DMK must take a stand on this,” he added.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav defended Chaudhary, suggesting that the remark might be a reminder for the Prime Minister. “When the Sengol was installed, the PM bowed before it. He might have forgotten this while taking the oath. Maybe our MP’s remark was to remind him of that,” Yadav said.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore also supported Chaudhary’s demand, criticizing the government for creating high drama during the Parliament inauguration. “This is a good suggestion from our Samajwadi Party colleague,” said Tagore.
RJD leader Manoj Jha also supported the move and said that the PM has had the conduct of the Kings so it is better to put the replica of the Constitution.
“The PM has the conduct of the Kings – jewelry, dresses, Mangalsutra, Mujra. It is better to put the replica of the Constitution. It will run the country,” he said.
During the ‘sengol’s installation in Lok Sabha last year, Home Minister Amit Shah had said it was an attempt to link our cultural traditions with our modernity. “We want the administration to run by the rule of law, and this will always remind us of that,” he said.
