After the National Emblem was unveiled atop the new Parliamentary building, the opposition attacked the BJP, claiming that they had altered it by swapping out the “graceful and regally confident” Ashokan lions for ones with an aggressive and frightening stance. They demanded an immediate change.
Contrarily, the BJP made it clear that the symbol was an exact reproduction of the one in Sarnath.
The critics were labelled “urban naxals” by the filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, who attacked them. “Urban Naxals can be duped by simply adjusting the viewpoint, as the new national emblem at the Central Vista has demonstrated. particularly at low angles “The uproar continued as the filmmaker tweeted, with the Congress and other opposition parties stating that the lion seemed menacing in contrast to the icon. Since it is a big statue, the perspective from below would have appeared skewed, according to the painters.
The director, who is currently savouring the success of his film The Kashmir Files, responded to the controversy on Twitter. Vivek Agnihotri cited Prashant Bhushan, a lawyer and activist, in a subsequent tweet, saying, “#UrbanNaxals desire a toothless, mute lion. in order to keep it as a pet.”
Mahua Moitra, a Trinamool MP, described the “distortion” in the insignia as the change from “Satyameva Jayate” to “Sanghimeva Jayate,” while a BJP official made indirect fun of Moitra by referring to her as a “neo expert.”
The Sarnath Lion Capital of Emperor Ashoka, which is preserved in the Sarnath Museum, served as the inspiration for the state emblem of India. Four lions are hung back-to-back on a circular abacus in the Lion Capital.
In the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the cast of the national emblem atop the new Parliament building on Monday.
