New Delhi: On the eve of the inauguration of new Parliament building yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a 5-ft-long ceremonial sceptre from the 21 Adheenams (religious leaders) from Tamil Nadu, with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman being a witness to it.

The sceptre, known as the ‘Sengol,’ is made of gold and silver, but has been the subject of controversy, with the Congress party questioning the Government’s claim that it (sceptre) was used to symbolise the transfer of power during India’s Independence. But BJP leaders were quick to dismiss the allegation. PM Modi stated that “The ‘Sengol’ is getting its deserved place in the temple of democracy, after being left as a ‘walking stick’ at a museum.”