In a scathing attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the ‘Sengol’ which was a symbol of the transfer of power from the British in 1947 should have gotten due respect after Independence but it was kept on display as a “walking stick” at Anand Bhawan in Prayagraj.

He made the remarks after receiving a Sengol from Tamil Nadu Adheenams (heads of Hindu monasteries) at his residence here on the eve of the inauguration of the new Parliament building. Modi said “your sevak” and the government have brought the Sengol out of Anand Bhawan in Prayagraj. Anand Bhawan was the residence of the Nehru family and has been converted into a museum.

Sengol holds significance not only because it was a sacred symbol of power transfer in 1947, it is also significant as it connected the glorious traditions of pre-colonial India to the future of independent India, Modi said. It would have been good if the sacred Sengol was given its due respect and an honourable position after Independence, but it was kept on display as a “walking stick” in Anand Bhawan, Prayagraj. “Your ‘sevak’ and our government have brought the Sengol out of Anand Bhawan.”

He said a question had arisen over symbol of transfer of power from British in 1947 and under guidance of C Rajagopalachari and Adheenams a virtuous path of power transfer through Sengol was found from out of ancient Tamil culture. As a symbol of transfer of power, special ‘Sengol’ was made by holy Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam in 1947, he said.

“I am delighted that symbol of India’s great tradition, Sengol, will be installed in the new Parliament building,” Modi said.

The Congress on Friday had claimed there is no documentary evidence of Lord Mountbatten, C Rajagopalachari and Jawaharlal Nehru describing the ‘Sengol’ as a symbol of transfer of power from the British to India.

In his remarks, Modi said “we all know the important role of Tamil Nadu in our independence struggle”. In every era, Tamil Nadu has been the centre of Indian nationalism, he said.

“The people of Tamil Nadu always had feeling of service. It is very unfortunate that the contribution of the people of Tamil Nadu in India’s independence was not given the importance it should have been given,” Modi said, adding the BJP has started raising this issue prominently.

“The people of country are getting to know what treatment was meted out to the great Tamil tradition,” he said.

The Adheenams, who arrived from Tamil Nadu earlier in the day, met Modi at his residence and handed him special gifts, including ‘Sengols’, amid chanting of ‘mantras’.

Modi sought their blessings and also honoured them.

The prime minister will on Sunday inaugurate the new Parliament building, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, amid a boycott by several Opposition parties which insist that President Droupadi Murmu as the head of the State should do the honours. On Friday, Modi said the new Parliament building will make every Indian proud and shared a video of the new complex.