In preparation for the inauguration ceremony of the New Parliament Building on May 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met with the Adheenams at his residence, seeking their blessings. During the meeting, the Adheenams presented the Prime Minister with the revered Sengol. The sceptre known as 'Sengol' will be prominently placed near the Speaker's seat in the new Parliament.
Earlier on Tuesday, Home Minister Amit Shah had announced that a sengol (spectre) handed over to India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the dawn of Independence will be placed in the new Parliament building, has put the focus on a 14th century Tamil Nadu mutt’s tryst with India’s destiny on the eve of August 15, 1947. A Chennai-based jewellery maker also had a role to play in the preparation of the spectre at the eleventh hour.
History behind the Sengol
Historical records show that it was free India’s first and last Governor General C Rajagopalachari who suggested to Nehru that he could receive a spectre from Lord Mountbatten as a symbolic handover of power from the British to India. He told Nehru that in Tamil tradition the ‘rajaguru’ (high priest) of the kingdom would present a spectre to a king when he assumed power. Upon Nehru’s endorsement of the idea, Rajaji, as Rajagopalachari was known, contacted the Thiruvaduthurai Aadheenam (mutt) in present day Myladuthurai district to commission the golden spectre.
Sengol's significance in the new Parliament
The Home Minister highlighted that the history and significance of the sengol are relatively unknown to many. The installation of the sengol in the new parliament aims to connect cultural traditions with modernity. Amit Shah praised Prime Minister Modi's foresight in planning to include the sengol in the new parliament, emphasizing the importance of preserving and reflecting upon India's heritage.
Opposition slams the 'sengol' theory
The ‘Sengol,’ which is to be installed next to the Speaker’s chair in the new Parliament, has been described as a ‘symbol of transfer of power’ by the British to India – a notion that was planted in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s head by C. Rajagopalachari – and which, in turn, led to the handing over of the golden scepter by the last Viceroy Mountbatten to the first Indian prime minister. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday claimed there is no documented evidence of Lord Mountbatten, Rajagopalachari and Nehru nursing the notion that the 'Sengol' was a symbol of transfer of power.
He also alleged that PM Modi and his ‘drum-beaters’ are using the ceremonial scepter for pursuing their political agenda in Tamil Nadu. Ramesh said on Twitter, "This is typical of this brigade that embroiders facts to suit its twisted objectives. The real question is why President Murmu is not being allowed to inaugurate the new Parliament."
"Is it any surprise that the new Parliament is being consecrated with typically false narratives from WhatsApp University? The BJP-RSS historians stand exposed yet again with maximum claims and minimum evidence to back the same," Congress general secretary communications Ramesh said in his tweet.
