'Sengol Was Marked As Walking Stick In Museum': TN BJP Chief Says Congress 'Insulted' Santan Dharma

Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai hit out at Congress and said that the party 'insulted' Santan Dharma and must clarify why ‘Sengol’ was marked as a "walking stick" in the museum.

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief K Annamalai on Friday slammed Congress and said that the party must clarify why ‘Sengol’ was marked as a "walking stick" in the museum, reported ANI. He also sought an apology from the party for the people of Tamil Nadu for ‘disrespecting’ Santan Dharma. This comes after an official release by the Government said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a decision to adopt the Sengol as a national symbol of the Amrit Kaal. 

"The Adheenam has spoken in the true spirit of what exactly happened in 1947. They (Congress) must apologise to the Tamil Nadu people for disrespecting the Sanatana Dharma rather than getting into why Lord Mountbatten's picture was not there," Annamalai told ANI. 

He added, "This is taking politics to a stupid level."  

The historical sceptre 'Sengol' was received by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on August 14, 1947, to represent the symbol of the transfer of power from the Britishers to India. Now, The same spectre will be handed over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the head priest of Madurai Adheenam on May 28.  

Union Home Minister Amit Shah earlier announced in a press briefing that the new building of Parliament will witness the very same event, with Adheenam (Priests) repeating the ceremony and vesting the PM with the Sengol. He said that the same Sengol from 1947 will be installed by the Prime Minister 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,” an official release said. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla are slated to dedicate to the nation the new Parliament building on May 28. The establishment of "Sengol", makes the spirit of 15 August 1947 unforgettable, the release added. 

According to ANI, the word Sengol is derived from the Tamil word 'Semmai', meaning 'Righteousness'. It is an Indic civilizational practice from the Chola kingdom, which was among the leading kingdoms in the Indian sub-continent for centuries.