Sengol row: BJP's 'fake factory' stands exposed, says Congress' Jairam Ramesh

The BJPs claim that the Sengol was a symbol of transfer of power from the British to former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru has been exposed Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Friday citing an interview quoting a Tamil Nadubased religious bodys chief the PTI reportedCiting the interview in a daily that quoted the head Swamigal of the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam he said neither Lord Mountbatten nor C Rajagopalachari were present at the handing over of the Sengol to NehruThe ceremonial sceptre was presented to Nehru at 10 pm on August 14 1947 at his residenceAccording to PTI Ahead of the inauguration of the new Parliament building and the installation of the Sengol in Lok Sabha on May 28 the BJP had alleged that the Congress displayed disregard for Hindu traditions by calling the sacred Sengol a golden stick gifted to Indias first prime minister Nehru and tucking it away in a museumThe vesting of the sacred Sengol with Nehru on the eve of Indias Independence was the exact moment of transfer of power from the British to India BJP leader Amit Malviya had said on May 26Even then Ramesh had said there is no documented evidence of Mountbatten Rajagopalachari and Nehru describing the Sengol as a symbol of transfer of power by the British to India Rajagopalachari was the first Indianborn GovernorGeneral who succeeded MountbattenIn a tweet on Friday the Congress leader said So the BJPs FakeFactory stands exposed today by none other than the revered head Swamigal of the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam himself in The Hindu No Mountbatten no Rajaji no part in official transfer of power on August 14 1947 But yes the majestic Sengol was indeed presented to Nehru as I have been saying all alongHere are some more facts to nail the lies of todays Raja and his drumbeaters he said citing an advertisement dated August 29 1947 on the presentation of the ceremonial sceptre to Nehru at 10 pm on August 14 1947 at his residence It was clearly an initiative of the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam itself he said In the photo he said the famed Nagaswaram virtuoso TN Rajaratnam Pillai is markedHere is what is said on him in an article on a website of the Union Ministry of Culture When India attained independence Rajaratnam was sent to Delhi by the Pandarasannadhi of the Tiruvaduturai Matam to present on his behalf a mace of solid gold senkol symbol of righteous administration Rajaratnam was thrilled by this proud privilege It was Dr P Subbaroyan who introduced him to prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to whom Rajaratnam played the Nagaswaram before handing over the mace Ramesh tweetedThere is no mention of Mountbatten or even Rajaji Rajaratnam Pillai is himself the subject of a fascinating new biography by an eminent Japanese ethnomusicologist in which the August 14 1947 episode is mentioned the Congress leader said on TwitterThe Congress general secretary has been claiming that the Sengol was never presented before Mountbatten or RajagopalachariWith PTI inputs