SP MP R K Chaudhary demands removal of sengol, wants replica of Constitution

This story was originally published on July 26 at 9am
NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party member R K Chaudhary demanded the removal of sengol from the Lok Sabha, calling it an anachronistic symbol of mo-narchy in a democratic India. He said the sengol should be replaced by a replica of the Constitution, reports Subodh Ghildiyal. Lodging a protest after taking oath as MP, Chaudhary submitted a letter to pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab questioning the presence of sengol next to Speaker's chair."Today, I took oath in this honourable chamber that 'I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established'.But I was shocked to see the sengol on the right side of the Chair of the House. Sir, our Constitution is a sacred document of India's democracy, while sengol is a symbol of monarchy. Our Parliament is a temple of democracy, not a palace of some king or royal," he said.
Chaudhary, who has won from the reserved seat of Mohanlalganj in Uttar Pradesh , is a known Dalit activist, and was among the early members of BSP. After his oath, he also wanted to read the letter in the House, but was urged by the opposition members, who were unaware of its content, not to do so in respect of the process of oath.