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Congress says ‘Sengol’ not power transfer symbol, BJP alleges insult to culture
The new Parliament opening ceremony is already mired in controversy after 21 opposition parties decided to boycott the event.
New Delhi A 5-ft-long scepter or “Sengol” shot to the centre of a swirling political controversy over the inauguration of the new Parliament on Friday with the Congress questioning the government’s assertion that it was used to symbolise the transfer of power at the moment of India’s Independence, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissing the criticism saying the opposition party disliked Indian culture.
The Sengol, the signifier of governance in Tamil kingdoms of yore, was made by Madras (now Chennai) jewellers Vummidi Bangaru Chetty. It was then displayed in the Allahabad Museum. Made of silver and gold, the sceptre was handed over to Jawaharlal Nehru on August 14, 1947 as a symbol of transfer of power from Britain to India after a suggestion from India’s last Governor-General C Rajagopalachari, the government had said earlier this week. On Sunday, it will be installed near the Speaker’s seat in the new Parliament, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Read: ‘Very nostalgic’: Makers of 'Sengol' on its installation in new Parliament
On Friday, the Congress questioned this version of history, saying while the scepter was indeed crafted in Madras and presented to Nehru in 1947, it had no connection to the freedom movement or India’s Independence. “There is no documented evidence whatsoever of [Louis] Mountbatten, Rajaji (C Rajagopachari) and Nehru describing this spectre as a symbol of transfer of British power to India. All claims to this effect are plain and simple bogus,” tweeted senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
He also said that none of the scholars who studied Rajagopachari’s life and legacy had ever mentioned the sceptre.
Hours later, the government hit back.
“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 symbolise India’s freedom but it was banished to a museum as a walking stick,” Union home minister Amit Shah said. His reference was to the spectre’s display in Allahabad’s Anand Bhavan museum.
The opening ceremony is already mired in controversy after 21 opposition parties decided to boycott the event, arguing that President Droupadi Murmu should have presided over the event, not Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government and the BJP have urged the opposition parties to rethink their decision and called it an insult to democracy.
On Friday, Modi said the new Parliament will make every Indian proud, and shared a video of the complex, asking all citizens to make clips with their own voiceovers.
Other than the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, seven other parties are attending the event.
BJP chief JP Nadda said most Opposition parties weren’t practitioners of real democracy.
“What connects most parties which are boycotting the inauguration of the new Parliament building? The answer is simple — they are dynasty-run political parties, whose monarchic methods are at loggerheads with the principles of republicanism and democracy in our Constitution,” he tweeted.
He said the parties lack any commitment to democracy and that their sole aim was to perpetuate dynasties. “These dynastic parties, particularly the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, are unable to digest the simple fact that the people of India have placed their faith in a man hailing from a humble background. Elitist mindsets of dynasts are preventing them from logical thinking,” he added.
But the Congress rejected this allegation, saying it was abiding by the Constitution.
“If the principles of the Constitution are not abided by, then we will not be a part of it. Hence, we are boycotting the event,” said senior leader Pramod Tiwari. “If the constitution is being killed and the dignity of the parliament is questioned, then we (Congress) would neither endorse it nor participate in it,” he added.
Read: What is ‘Sengol’ (sceptre) to be installed by PM in new Parliament on May 28
Ramesh alleged that the symbolism around the specter was manufactured. “The specter is now being used by the PM and his drumbeaters for their political ends in Tamil Nadu,” he added.
Former chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir Omar Abdullah praised the new building.
“Setting aside the brouhaha about the inauguration for a moment, this building is a welcome addition. The old Parliament House has served us well but as someone who has worked there for a few years, a lot of us often spoke amongst ourselves about the need for a new and improved Parliament building. Better late than never is all I’ll say and this one looks pretty damn impressive,” he tweeted. His party was one of the 19 signatories to a joint statement by opposition parties on Wednesday that said Modi’s decision to lead the opening ceremony was an assault on democracy.
The Sengol was introduced by the government earlier this week in a press conference addressed by Shah. Recalling the events of August 14, 1947 , Shah said the process began when Lord Mountbatten posed a query to Nehru about a ceremonial transfer of power, following which the latter consulted C Rajagopalachari or Rajaji.
“Rajaji identified the Chola dynasty’s model where the transfer of power from one king to the other was sanctified and blessed by high priests and Sengol was a symbol of handover. Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam mutt (in Tanjore), established in 14th century, was approached by Rajaji to make a Sengol. The mutt commissioned the work... which was completed and flown to Delhi. Pandit Nehru accepted it in the presence of Dr Rajendra Prasad (India’s first President) and others,” Shah had said.
