NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday.
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New Parliament Inauguration Live"The PM will felicitate about 60,000 workers who were involved in the construction of the
new Parliament building," the home minister said.
The home minister also said that a historical event is being revived on this occasion. The historic sceptre, 'Sengol', will be placed in the new Parliament building. It was used on August 14, 1947, by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru when the transfer of power took place from the British, Shah said.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru holding 'Sengol', a historical sceptre from Tamil Nadu. (PTI photo)
It is called 'Sengol' in Tamil, the meaning of this word is full of wealth," the home minister added. 'Sengol' is a symbol of historic legacy.
Addressing a press conference here, Amit Shah said, "On the occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, PM Modi will dedicate the new Parliament to the nation. In a way, it shows his far-sightedness. This is a beautiful attempt to merge our cultural legacy, tradition and civilisation with modernity. Around 60,000 people worked on the construction of this building in record time. The PM will also honour them."
"Out of all the promises made by PM Modi for 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', one promise was respect and regeneration of our historic traditions," he said.
The home minister said that Sengol had played an important role in our history. "When PM Modi got information about this, a thorough investigation was done. Then it was decided that it should be put before the country. For this, the day of the inauguration of the new Parliament House was chosen," Shah said.
ANI photo
Recalling the historic event, Amit Shah said that 'Sengol' was chosen as the symbol of the transfer of power after intensive research. "When the time for transfer of power came, Lord Mountbatten - who was the Viceroy - asked former PM Nehru about what should be the symbol of transfer of power to the country as per the Indian traditions. Nehru discussed the issue with freedom fighter and avid historic scholar C Rajagopalachari. After doing an intensive historic research, Rajagopalachari said that as per the Indian traditions 'Sengol' has been marked as the symbol of historic transfer," Shah said.
The word Sengol is derived from the Tamil word 'Semmai', meaning 'righteousness'. It is a civilisational practice from the Chola kingdom, which was among the leading kingdoms in the Indian sub-continent for centuries.
- With inputs from agencies
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