New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will install a historic golden sceptre near the Speaker’s seat when he inaugurates the new parliament building this Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said today.
This sceptre was handed over to the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to mark the transfer of power from British to Indians. The Home Minister said this spectre was called “sengol” – a Tamil word meaning “full of wealth”, Shah informed.
The sengol came into being after a chain of events that started with a simple question by Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of British India, to Prime Minister Nehru. Mountbatten had asked the soon-to-be-PM what would mark the transfer of power when India attains Independence, NDTV reported quoting historical accounts and news reports.
Prime Minister Nehru then turned to C Rajagopalachari, the country’s last Governor General, for advice. Rajagopalachari or Rajaji, told Prime Minister Nehru about the Tamil tradition of the high priest handing over a sceptre to a new king when he comes to power. He said this tradition may be followed to mark India’s freedom from the Raj. Rajaji then arranged a sceptre for the historic moment.
