National emblem row: Opposition slams Centre over 'muscular and aggressive' lions

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the cast of the national emblem atop the new Parliament building, opposition members and activists among others on Tuesday accused the government of distorting the national emblem by replacing the "graceful and regally confident" Ashokan lions with those having menaced and aggressive posture and sought immediate change.  

The opposition has also hit out at PM Modi for flouting constitutional norms and not inviting opposition leaders to the event. PM Modi unveiled the national emblem in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh.

Here’s how the opposition and others reacted to the new national emblem structure.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Modi's "Amrit kaal" remark, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) tweeted in Hindi, "The original emblem has a mild expression, but those built during Amrit Kaal show a man-eater's tendency to consume everything in the country."

मूल कृति के चेहरे पर सौम्यता का भाव तथा अमृत काल में बनी मूल कृति की नक़ल के चेहरे पर इंसान, पुरखों और देश का सबकुछ निगल जाने की आदमखोर प्रवृति का भाव मौजूद है।

हर प्रतीक चिन्ह इंसान की आंतरिक सोच को प्रदर्शित करता है। इंसान प्रतीकों से आमजन को दर्शाता है कि उसकी फितरत क्या है। pic.twitter.com/EaUzez104N

— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) July 11, 2022

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has posted the two pictures on her Twitter handle without comment.

pic.twitter.com/CHhKM66bl3

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) July 12, 2022

"Narendra Modi Ji, please observe the face of the Lion, whether it is representing the statue of Great Sarnath or a distorted version of GIR lion. Please check it and if it needs, mend the same,” Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, said on Twitter.

@narendramodi Ji please observe the face of the Lion, whether it is representing the statue of Great Sarnath or a distorted version of GIR lion. please check it and if it needs, mend the same.

 Adhir Chowdhury (@adhirrcinc) July 12, 2022

"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 the new Parliament building - snarling, unnecessarily aggressive and disproportionate. Shame! Change it immediately," Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Jawahar Sircar said on Twitter sharing two different images of the national emblem.

Insult to our national symbol, the majestic Ashokan Lions. Original is on the left, graceful, regally confident. The one on the right is Modis 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

Historian S Irfan Habib also objected to the national emblem unveiled atop the new Parliament building.

"Meddling with our national emblem was totally unnecessary and avoidable. Why should our lions look ferocious and full of angst? These are Ashoka's lions adapted by independent India in 1950," Habib said.

"From Gandhi to Godse; From our national emblem with lions sitting majestically & peacefully; to the new national emblem unveiled for the top of the new Parliament building under construction at Central Vista; Angry lions with bared fangs. This is Modi's new India," senior lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan said.  

New national emblem

The national emblem is made of bronze, weighs 9,500 kg and is 6.5 metre high. A supporting steel structure weighing around 6,500 Kg has been constructed to support the emblem, a government note said.

India's national emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, an ancient sculpture dating back to the Mauryan empire.

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