Sengol claims bogus: Congress, BJP calls it shameful insult

New Delhi: A political row erupted on Friday after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed that there is no documented evidence of Lord Mountbatten, C Rajagopalachari and Jawaharlal Nehru describing the 'Sengol' as a symbol of transfer of power by the British to India. The senior Congress leader said claims to this effect are plain and simple — 'bogus'. Launching a counter-offensive, Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the grand old party of heaping "another shameful insult". "Why does the Congress party hate Indian traditions and culture so much? A sacred Sengol was given to Pandit Nehru by a holy Saivite Mutt from Tamil Nadu to symbolize India's freedom, but it was banished to a museum as a 'walking stick'," Shah tweeted.

Taking a swipe at the BJP over the proposed installation of 'Sengol' by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, Jairam Ramesh on his Twitter claimed the sceptre is now being used by the PM 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, he claimed.

"The real question is why is President Droupadi Murmu not being allowed to inaugurate the new Parliament," Jairam Ramesh wrote on Twitter.

The Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam, a holy Saivite Mutt, itself spoke about the importance of the Sengol at the time of India’s freedom, Amit Shah said, hitting back at the Congress. Congress needs to reflect on their behaviour, he added.

Jairam Ramesh 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 Jawaharlal Nehru in August 1947.

"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.

BJP national president JP Nadda also took a jibe at the Congress and said parties that are boycotting the inauguration of the new Parliament building are dynasty-run. In a series of tweets, Nadda said the boycott was an insult to the makers of the Constitution. Naming the Congress and the "Nehru-Gandhi dynasty".

The BJP chief said that "elitist mindsets" of dynasts are preventing them from logical thinking and they are "unable to digest a simple fact that the people of India have placed their faith in a man hailing from a humble background".

PM Modi will inaugurate the new parliament building on Sunday. As many as 20 Opposition parties have decided to boycott the event.