Amid chanting of mantras, the saints handed over Sengol to PM Modi.

A day before the inauguration of the new Parliament today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at the Congress for not giving "due respect" to the historic Rajdanand Sengol. Sengol will be installed in the new Parliament. PM Modi met the Mahant of Adhinam at his Delhi residence and sought his blessings.

PM Modi said, "... It would have been good if the holy Sengol was given due respect and a respectable place after Independence, but this Sengol was kept for display as a stick at Anand Bhawan in Prayagraj. Your servant and our government have brought Sengol out of Anand Bhawan."

The saints handed over Sengol to PM Modi this evening amid chanting of mantras.

Around 60 religious heads, many from Tamil Nadu, were invited for the event. Tamil Nadu's Adhinams or monasteries have a history of opposing upper caste supremacy and are known for taking religion to the masses. Many of these are hundreds of years old.

The Thiruvaduthuraya Act, which was tasked with preparing the Sengol or shunt for the transfer of power, is itself 400 years old.

The Sengol, first received by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru from the British, was so far kept in a museum in Allahabad. It will be installed near the Lok Sabha Speaker's seat in the new Parliament building.

The Congress has rejected the BJP's claim that Sengol was a symbol of transfer of power from the British to independent India.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah hit back, saying the Congress needs to "reflect" on its behaviour. Shah also rejected the Congress' claim that there was no evidence of Sengol being a symbol of transfer of power.

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