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Updated May 29th, 2023 at 17:41 IST

Mahesh Jethmalani poses 9 questions to Congress over sacred Sengol; 'Why would...'

The Rajya Sabha MP said that Home Ministry should conduct an inquiry into the matter as Congress has no counter-narrative to the government's stance on Sengol.

Reported by: Kamal Joshi
Sengol
Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Jethmalani (Image: Republic World/PTI) | Image:self
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Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Jethmalani on Monday posed nine questions to Congress in relation to the sacred 'Sengol' which has now been installed in the Lok Sabha of the new Parliament building. He asked the grand old party who labelled Sengol as a 'walking stick'? He also inquired if 'Sengol' was deposited in toshakhana as Congress claimed it was a 'gift' to former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Jethmalani's 9 questions to Congress over Sengol - 

  1. Who 'gifted' the Sengol to Nehru?
  2. When was the gift made to Nehru?
  3. Is there a deed evidencing the gift?
  4. Did the gift need to be deposited with the toshakhana?
  5. Who was responsible for labelling the gift as a walking stick for Nehru?
  6. Was the 5ft Sengol capable of being used as a walking stick?
  7. The Tamil inscription on the Sengol clearly establishes that it was crafted in 1947. Why would anyone gift a walking stick to Nehru who was a robust 58-year-old in 1947 with no walking disabilities?
  8. The Sengol was lodged in Anand Bhavan, the private residence of the Nehrus since 1947 till it was moved to the Allahabad museum. If this was State property and not a personal gift who was responsible for this misappropriation?
  9. What do the records of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund in which trust Anand Bhavan vests disclose about the ownership of the Sengol?

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said that the Union Home Ministry should conduct an inquiry into the matter as Congress has no counter-narrative to the government's stance on Sengol.

Jethmalani said that he has asked those nine questions out of his deep respect for the late Pandit Nehru "whose 59th death anniversary we all recalled on 27th May in the hope that his name is not being misused posthumously by those responsible for his estate or any others."

The historic Sengol was installed it in a special enclosure on the right side of the Speaker's chair in the Lok Sabha chamber by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. 

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Published May 29th, 2023 at 17:10 IST

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