''Sengol, a 'Raj-Dand', must be removed from Parliament'' : SP MP's remark triggers row; BJP reacts

''Sengol, a 'Raj-Dand', must be removed from Parliament'' : SP MP's remark triggers row; BJP reacts

A massive political row erupted after Samajwadi Party MP RK Chaudhary demanded removal of the ‘Sengol’ from Parliament, calling it ‘Raj-Dand’.

“The Constitution is the symbol of democracy. The BJP government, under PM Modi, installed the Sengol in Parliament. ‘Sengol’ means ‘Raj-Dand’ or ‘Raja ka Danda’. After ending the princely order, the country became independent. Will the country be run by ‘Raja ka danda’ or the Constitution? I demand that Sengol be removed from Parliament to save the Constitution,” said Chaudhary.

His remarks triggered a row with the BJP slamming the SP leader for Opposing the Sengol and accused him of disrespecting the Indian and Tamil culture.

“The Samajwadi Party opposes Sengol in Parliament, calling it ‘Raja ka Dand’. If it was so, why did Jawaharlal Nehru accept it? This shows their mindset. They attack Ramcharitmanas and now Sengol. Does DMK support this insult? They must clarify,” BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla asserted.

BJP MP Ravi Kishan also criticised Chaudhary, saying the Opposition wants to replace Lord Ram.

“They want to replace Lord Ram, the other day they compared their MP with Lord Ram,” he told a news agency when asked to comment on Chaudhary’s remark.

Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi defended the Sengol, saying what Prime Minister Narendra Modi did was the right thing and it (Sengol) should remain in Parliament.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has defended his MP, saying he wanted to remind PM Modi to bow before it as he forgot doing it while taking the oath.

“When the Sengol was installed, the PM bowed before it. He might have forgotten this while taking the oath. Maybe our MP’s remark was to remind him of that,” Yadav stated.

The historic Sengol was installed in the Lok Sabha near the Speaker’s chair on May 28, 2023 by PM Modi.