New Delhi: The Congress has stepped up its opposition to the grand inauguration of the new Parliament building by the Prime Minister and the planned installation of the Sengol near the Speaker’s chair. Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh said that there was no evidence that the Sengol was the symbol of transfer of power by the British to India.
Taking offence to this irresponsible statement, the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam objected to the Congress leader’s statement. In an official statement the Adheenam said that reducing the importance of Sengol for sake of politics is sad and unfortunate.
Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam is a Saivite Mutt based in the town of Thriuvaduthurai in Tamil Nadu. In 1947 the then chief priest of the Adheenam performed special Shiva pujas and presented Jawaharlal Nehru the golden Sengol. This Sengol was then used by Lord Mountbatten to symbolize the transfer of power from the British to India. Mountbatten handed the Sengol to the first Prime Minister of India in a symbolic gesture of power transfer.
The Adheenam in its statement said that there are documents from multiple sources that say that the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam was invited to conduct a ritual for transfer of power.
Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, asked why the Congress hates India traditions and culture so much. He also accused Congress of reducing the significance of the Sengol to that of a walking stick.
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