+

'No documented proof on 'Sengol' as sign of power transfer' claims Congress

According to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, there is no proof that Lord Mountbatten, C. Rajagopalachari, or Jawaharlal Nehru ever referred to the “Sengol” as a sign of the British handing over authority to India. He further said that Tamil Nadu’s ceremonial sceptre is being used for political purposes by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his […]

According to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, there is no proof that Lord Mountbatten, C. Rajagopalachari, or Jawaharlal Nehru ever referred to the “Sengol” as a sign of the British handing over authority to India.

He further said that Tamil Nadu’s ceremonial sceptre is being used for political purposes by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his drumbeaters.

After Modi inaugurates the new Parliament building on May 28, which 20 opposition parties, including the Congress, are boycotting, the ‘Sengol’ will be placed adjacent to the speaker’s chair.

The BJP had said on Thursday that the Congress had disrespected Hindu customs by referring to the revered Sengol as a golden stick gifted to India’s first prime minister Nehru and hiding it in a museum.

According to BJP leader Amit Malviya, the handing over of the  ‘Sacred Sengol’ to Nehru on the eve of India’s Independence marked the precise moment when control of India passed from the British to the country.

On Twitter, Ramesh said, “The sceptre is now being used by the PM (prime minister) and his drum-beaters for their political ends in Tamil Nadu. This is typical of this brigade that embroiders facts to suit its twisted objectives. The real question is why is President Droupadi Murmu not being allowed to inaugurate the new Parliament.” He claimed that a majestic sceptre conceived of by a religious establishment in the Madras province and crafted in Madras city (now Chennai) was indeed presented to Nehru in August 1947.

“There is no documented evidence whatsoever of Mountbatten, Rajaji and Nehru describing this sceptre as a symbol of transfer of British power to India. All claims to this effect are plain and simple — bodgus,” he said.

“Wholly and completely manufactured in the minds of a few and dispersed into WhatsApp, and now to the drum-beaters in the media. Two of the finest Rajaji scholars with impeccable credentials have expressed surprise,” the Congress general secretary communications said.

The prime minister’s decision to launch it by himself, fully ignoring President Droupadi Murmu, was described by the opposition parties as not only a grievous insult but also an open assault on democracy that calls for a corresponding response.

“Is it any surprise that the new Parliament is being consecrated with typically false narratives from WhatsApp University? The BJP-RSS distorians stand exposed yet again with maximum claims, minimum evidence,” Congress general secretary communications Ramesh said in his tweet.

He claimed that the sceptre that was given to Nehru was thereafter stored at the Allahabad Museum for display. Regardless of what labels may claim, what Nehru said there on 14 December 1947 is a matter of public record, according to Ramesh.

Tags: