PM Narendra Modi unveiled the Ashoka Pillar, the national emblem of India, on the top floor of the new Parliament building under construction. This pillar is the identity of the country, but now questions are also being raised about it. Allegations are being made that the national emblem Ashoka Pillar has been replaced.
However, sculptor Sunil Deore, who made it, says that there is no change in it. It took him close to 9 months to build the Ashoka Pillar. Deore says that no direct contract was received from the government. We have not made any changes at the behest of anyone. This is a copy of the pillar present in Sarnath. Sunil Deore said that he did not get any contract from the government or BJP to build this Ashoka Pillar. He had an agreement with Tata. He was shown the model of Ashoka Pillar by Sunil.
Lalu Prasad Yadav’s party RJD tweeted that the original work has a gentle look on its face while the new idol shows man-eating tendencies. Trinamool MPs Mahua Moitra and Jawahar Sirkar tweeted the photo of the old Ashoka Pillar, while AAP MP Sanjay Singh tweeted that I want to ask 130 crore Indians whether those who change the national symbol should speak anti-national or not.
The Congress said that it is undemocratic to not invite the opposition for the unveiling of the national emblem in the new Parliament building. Not writing Satyamev Jayate on it is also a big mistake. It can still be fixed.
#BreakingViews , “It is a large statue, looking at it from below may give a distorted impression. The one on paper is a 2D image, if you recreate it in 3D, it’ll look like the one we built”: Sunil Deore, sculptor of Ashok Stambh for new Parliament building#NDTVExclusive pic.twitter.com/gBV8TS4Wd1
— NDTV (@ndtv) July 12, 2022
Asaduddin Owaisi has tweeted that the Constitution separates the powers of Parliament, Government and Judiciary. The PM, as head of government, should not have unveiled the national emblem atop the new Parliament building. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha represents the Lok Sabha. which are not under the government. Constitutional norms have been violated by the PMO.
There is a sense of gentleness on the face of the original work and on the face of the copy of the original work made in the nectar period, there is a sense of man-eating tendency to swallow everything of man, ancestors and country.
Each symbol reflects the inner thinking of the human being. Human beings show the common man with symbols that what is his nature. pic.twitter.com/EaUzez104N
— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) July 11, 2022
BJP MP Anil Baluni said that from the design of the statue to the fund and construction supervision, all the work is being done by the Urban Development Department. He said that the building would be handed over to the Parliament Administration after the completion of the construction work. Baluni said that it is unfortunate that the opposition parties are leveling baseless allegations. Their motive is being known.
Insult to our national symbol, the majestic Ashokan Lions. Original is on the left, graceful, regally confident. The one on the right is Modi’s version, put above new Parliament building — snarling, unnecessarily aggressive and disproportionate. Shame! Change it immediately! pic.twitter.com/luXnLVByvP
— Jawhar Sircar (@jawharsircar) July 12, 2022
Why did Ashoka build the pillar?
Seeing the bloodshed in the Kalinga war, Emperor Ashoka was disillusioned. Due to the change of heart after this war, Ashoka took a vow never to fight in life. Then he changed his religion and went to the refuge of Buddhism. While following the path of non-violence, Ashoka devoted the rest of his life to education and propagation of religion. Emperor Ashoka had built many pillars after adopting the policy of Dhamma.
The Ashoka Pillar, the official emblem of India, was adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950. The original pillar is kept safe in the museum at Sarnath. Ashoka’s lion pillar has four lions at the top but only three lions are visible from the front. The original pillar is carved out of Chunar sandstone. Beneath the lions are raised sculptures of an elephant, a horse, a bull and a lion. There are cycles in between.