Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has criticised the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the opposition INDIA bloc over their demand to replace the sengol with a copy of the Constitution. He accused the SP MP, who first raised the demand, and others of disrespecting Indian history and Tamil culture.

Samajwadi Party MP RK Chaudhary’s critical remarks about the presence of the sengol in Parliament triggered a fresh political row. Chaudhary dubbed the sengol as a symbol of monarchy. He argued that the Constitution, not a relic of royal authority, should be the primary symbol in India’s legislative body.

“Samajwadi Party has no respect for Indian history or culture. The remarks of their top leaders on the ‘Sengol’ are condemnable and indicate their ignorance. It also shows INDI Alliance’s hatred to Tamil culture in particular. The ‘Sengol’ is India’s pride and it is a matter of honour that Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi Ji accorded it the highest respect in the Parliament,” Adityanath wrote on X.

On May 28, last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi installed the sengol in the Lok Sabha, next to the Speaker’s chair in the new Parliament building. This sengol was previously accepted by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, on the night of August 14, 1947.

The sengol is about five feet long, studded with precious stones, and has a golden orb at the top. Its name comes from the Tamil word “Semmai,” which translates to righteousness. The installation was seen as a tribute to India’s rich cultural heritage and a symbolic gesture of continuity between India’s past and present governance.

“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 party chief Akhilesh Yadav defended him suggesting that his remarks were intended as a reminder for PM Modi to uphold democratic principles.

“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 quipped.

Senior Congress leader and MP B Manickam Tagore. “We have been very clear that the sengol symbolises kingship and the kingdom-era is over. We should celebrate the people’s democracy and the Constitution.”

RJD MP and Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Misa Bharti echoed “whosoever has demanded this, I welcome it.”

The BJP has hit back saying the Samajwadi Party earlier attacked and abused Ramcharitmanas and now sengol, which is part of Indian culture and particularly Tamil culture. “It’s an insult to Tamil Nadu. The DMK must clarify if they support this insult of sengol,” party leaders said.

“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,” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said.