Several Opposition MPs have demanded the removal of the sengol from Parliament.

The sengol is a traditional Tamil sceptre meant to symbolise a monarch’s adherence to dharmic principles.

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders criticised the Opposition MPs’ demand and accused them of disrespecting Indian and Tamil culture.

The sengol was installed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha chamber of the new Parliament building on May 28 last year. The Union government had claimed – citing dubious historical sources – that the sengol from Tamil Nadu symbolised the transfer of power from the British government to India.

Newly-inducted Samajwadi Party MP RK Chaudhary triggered the controversy on Wednesday after he called the sengol a “symbol of monarchy”.

Chaudhary, who was elected from Uttar Pradesh’s Mohanlalganj seat in the recent Lok Sabha election, demanded in a letter to newly-elected Speaker Om Birla that the sengol be replaced with a copy of the Constitution, NDTV reported.

“The Constitution is the symbol of democracy while the sengol is the symbol of monarchy,” the letter said, according to The Print. “Our Parliament is a temple of democracy, not a place of royalty. I request the sengol be removed and replaced by a large replica of the Constitution.”

On Wednesday, Chaudhary also told ANI that the sengol symbolised “raj dand” or “raja ka danda [the king’s stick]”. He said that India became independent after the British left. “Will the country be run by ‘raja ka danda’ or the Constitution? I demand that the sengol be removed from Parliament to save the Constitution.”

After his remarks, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said that Modi had bowed before the sengol when it was installed in Parliament, ANI reported. “He [Modi] might have forgotten this while taking the oath,” he said. “Maybe our MP’s remark was to remind him of that.”

Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Misa Bharti also said that the sengol should be removed from Parliament since India is a democratic country. “The sengol should be kept in the museum where people can come and see it.”

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader TKS Elangovan, who has served as an MP in both Houses of Parliament, said that the demand was “justifiable”.

Elangovan told ANI: “As [Chaudhary] said, the sceptre is the identity of monarchy. The kings used to have it. In a democratic country, it has no role to play. It was also a gift from the British rulers to Jawaharlal Nehru. So its place is the museum.”

Bharti’s party colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha also said that the sengol should be replaced with the Constitution, PTI reported. “The prime minister has the conduct of kings...," he said. "It is better to put the replica of Constitution. It will run the country.”

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, on the other hand, said that both the Union government and the Opposition presented good arguments on the topic.

“The government rightly argues that the sceptre reflects a continuity of tradition by embodying sanctified sovereignty and the rule of dharma,” he said on social media. “The Opposition rightly argues that the Constitution was adopted in the name of the people and that sovereignty abides in the people of India as represented in their Parliament, and is not a kingly privilege handed down by divine right.”

Tharoor said that sengol should be seen as a traditional symbol of power and authority and that by placing it in the Lok Sabha, “India is affirming that sovereignty resides there and not with any monarch.”

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on social media said that the Samajwadi Party had no respect for Indian history or culture. “The remarks of their top leaders on the sengol are condemnable and indicate their ignorance,” he said. “It also shows the INDIA bloc’s hatred for Tamil culture in particular.”

Anupriya Patel, who is the Union minister of state for health and family welfare, asked what the Samajwadi MPs were doing when the sengol was installed in the Lower House of Parliament.

“When sengol was established, the Samajwadi Party was in the House even then,” she said, according to ANI. “What were its MPs doing at that time?”

BJP leader CR Kesavan described Chaudhary’s remarks on the sengol as “outrageous” and “outlandish”, ANI reported.

“He [Chaudhary] insulted millions of devotees,” Kesavan said. “He has also undermined the sanctity of the Parliament. He has also abused the office of the president. But what better can you expect from a Samajwadi Party MP?”

The BJP’s Tamil Nadu state unit chief K Annamalai also weighed in on the debate. “We wish to educate the ill-informed Samajwadi MP that sengol is a symbol of righteousness, which was banished by Pandit [Jawaharlal] Nehru and is restored to its rightful place today by [Prime Minister Narendra Modi],” he said.

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