Sengol controversy: Would've been better if Samajwadi Party also cornered government on people's issues, says Mayawati

Lucknow: BSP president Mayawati on Friday said that it would have been better if the Samajwadi Party had cornered the government on issues of the weak and neglected sections of the country along with seeking replacement of the 'Sengol' in the Lok Sabha.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister's remarks came a day after Samajwadi Party MP R K Chaudhary demanded that the 'Sengol' installed next to the Lok Sabha speaker's chair be replaced with a copy of the Constitution.

In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chaudhary demanded that the 'Sengol', which was used as a symbol of transfer of power when India got independence, be removed as it represents monarchy.

In a post on X, Mayawati said, "Along with speaking on whether to keep the Sengol in Parliament or not, it would have been better for the SP to corner the central government on issues of the weak and neglected sections of the country and issues of interest of the general public."

"The truth is that this party (SP) remains silent on most of these issues and takes decisions against the weaker sections after coming to power," she said.

Opposition leaders backed Chaudhary's demand for replacing the 'Sengol' while the ruling BJP castigated him for "disrespecting" Indian and Tamil culture.