NEW DELHI, May 24 (PTI): All political parties are invited to the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28 and they will take a “call as per their wisdom”, union home minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday amidst a boycott call against the event by as many as 19 opposition parties.
Addressing a press conference, Shah said during the inauguration, ‘Sengol’, a historical sceptre from Tamil Nadu that was received by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to represent the transfer of power from the British to Indians will be installed in the new Parliament building and asserted that the event should not be linked with politics.
“The government of India has invited everyone to be present at the inauguration. Everyone will act as per their wisdom,” Shah, who was flanked by Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Singh Thakur and culture minister g Kishan Reddy, said when asked about the opposition parties’ decision to boycott the inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28.
Some opposition parties announced the boycott of the function as they said it should have been done by President Droupadi Murmu.
“Sengol can’t be associated with politics. ‘Sengol’ conveys the message that the government should run with justice and fairness and it should be rule-based. This message will go to the people and people’s representatives when it is installed in the new Parliament building.
“This is the real purpose. Don’t mix this with politics. This is an old tradition that is going to be connected with the new India. Politics has its own place. Everyone works as per their wisdom,” he said.
The home minister said that the new Parliament building is an example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s far-sightedness.
The ‘Sengol’ will be installed near the chair of the Speaker in the new Parliament building.
He said the Prime Minister will also honour 60,000 workers (shram yogis) at the inauguration.
The home minister said the new Parliament building is a testament of the Prime Minister’s vision of creating a new India, which combines modernity with the country’s heritage and traditions.
Shah said the purpose of the installation was clear then and even now and the transfer of power is not merely a handshake or signing a document and that it must remain connected with local traditions keeping in mind modern needs.
The ‘Sengol’ to be installed in the new Parliament building is the original one received by Nehru.
On August 14, 1947, ‘Sengol’ was used to transfer the power from British to Indian hands and it was accepted by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the presence of Rajendra Prasad, who later became India’s first President and many others.
The ‘Sengol’ is special and the word is derived from the Tamil word ‘Semmai’, meaning ‘righteousness’
The historical sceptre was made of silver with gold coated and the sacred Nandi, with its unyielding gaze. The Nandi on top of the ‘Sengol’ is symbolic of ‘Nyaya’ (Justice).
“Sengol represents the same feeling that Jawaharlal Nehru felt on August 14, 1947,” he said.
