India's opposition parties question new design of national emblem

India's opposition parties have questioned the new design of the national emblem unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi atop the new Parliament building.

Accusing the government of giving a ''ferocious'' look to the sculpture and insulting the symbol, the opposition slammed the makeover.

''To completely change the character and nature of the lions on Ashoka's pillar at Sarnath is nothing but a brazen insult to India's National Symbol,'' said AICC General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said.

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Dating back to 250 BC, the new statue is an adaptation of an ancient sculpture 'Lion Capital of Ashoka' at Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh.

''Truth be told, the transition from Satyameva Jayate to Sanghimeva Jayate has long been completed in spirit,'' said Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra said.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) asserted that nobody has permission to tamper with a constitutional heritage "in any manner".

It added that such kind of "tampering" should be avoided as it hurts the constitutional tradition of the country.

The real reason behind the opposition's allegation was its frustration over India creating its own Parliament building under the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to BJP chief spokesperson Anil Baluni.

''Opposition parties want to target Modi for one reason or another. It is just a conspiracy to vitiate the atmosphere by misleading people,'' he said.

While the emblem on the top of the New Parliament Building is huge at 6.5 metres in height, the original Sarnath Emblem is 1.6 metre high.

(With inputs from agencies)

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