Samajwadi Party MP RK Chaudhary stirred a political row after he demanded that the Sengol, a historic sceptre that is placed in the new building of the Parliament, be replaced with the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, inviting a backlash from the BJP and other NDA allies.
The SP MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj accused the BJP-led central government of establishing a ‘monarchy’ by installing the Sengol in the new Parliament. He asked, “Would the country be governed by the ‘Raja ka danda’ or the Constitution”.
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“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.
BJP hits back
The SP leader’s comments drew sharp reactions from the NDA leaders. 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.
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.
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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.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Chirag Paswan expressed confusion over Chaudhary’s controversial approach, questioning whether he was elected for development or to engage in such divisive politics. Paswan highlighted that symbols like the Sengol, which have been disrespected for decades, are now honoured by the Prime Minister. He also questioned why Opposition leaders couldn’t adopt a more positive political approach.
PM Modi installed Sengol in Parliament
Prime Minister Narendra Modi installed the sacred ‘Sengol’, a historical sceptre with roots in Tamil Nadu, in the Lok Sabha chamber, right next to the Speaker’s chair during the inauguration of the new Parliament building in May last year.
He was handed over the historic ‘Sengol’ by high priests of various adherents or maths in Tamil Nadu before its installment in the new building. Modi decided to adopt Sengol as a national symbol of the Amrit Kaal.
This is the same Sengol that was accepted by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at his residence on the night of August 14, in the presence of several leaders.
(With inputs from ANI)
