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As a row over the new Parliament building inauguration has taken hold of the political narrative in the country with a total of 20 Opposition parties boycotting the event on May 28, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that the Congress called the sacred ‘Sengol’ a “gift” to former PM Jawaharlal Nehru. The BJP has alleged that the Congress tucked away the sacred ‘Sengol’ and displayed disregard for Hindu traditions by calling the sacred 'Sengol' a “golden stick gifted”.
The golden ‘Sengol’ will be installed in the new Parliament building. It was given to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to symbolise the transfer of power from the Britishers to India in August 1947. It was kept in the Nehru Gallery of the Allahabad Museum.
On May 28 during the inauguration of the new Parliament building, PM Narendra Modi will install the 'Sengol' in the Lok Sabha closer to the Speaker's podium. BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya has said that the ‘Sengol’ has been given its rightful place.
The BJP's attack on the Congress comes as 20 Opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, and AAP, have decided to boycott the inaugural function of the new Parliament building.
The reason for their boycott? The Opposition has said that the prime minister has completely "sidelined" President Droupadi Murmu. They say the prime minister's decision to inaugurate it by himself, "completely sidelining President Droupadi Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response".
The vesting of the "sacred 'Sengol'" with Jawaharlal Nehru, on the eve of India's Independence, was the exact moment of transfer of power from the British to India, Amit Malviya said.
"But instead of being given the pride of its place, it was tucked away in Anand Bhavan, and called the golden stick gifted to Nehru," he said in a tweet, adding, "Such is the disdain for Hindu rituals in the Congress".
Amit Malviya said, “Prime Minister Modi will now install the Sengol, from 1947, in the Lok Sabha, prominently close to the Speaker’s podium. It will be displayed for the nation to see, and will be taken out on special occasions. It is now Sengol vs Opposition.”
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