Maharashtra emblem replaced with Sengol in government advertisements on Emergency: Congress

The Maharashtra Congress slammed the government on Wednesday (June 25, 2025), claiming that it had replaced the State emblem with the Sengol in its advertisements on the Emergency. In response, the Maharashtra government told The Hindu that it does not use State emblems in government advertisements anyway. The Congress also came down heavily on the State Government over reports of meals being served on silver plates to members of the Estimates Committees of Parliament and State governments during their recent conference in Mumbai.

Speaking at a press briefing in Mumbai on Wednesday (June 25, 2025), Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Mr. Sapkal said, “The Government spent crores of rupees on propaganda. The State emblem is missing in the advertisements issued by the State government, and a Sengol is displayed instead. This is not just symbolic but is part of a larger conspiracy to alter the Constitution.” The ‘Sengol’ is a historical sceptre from Tamil Nadu, which has been installed in the new Parliament building. It was given by the British to the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to represent the transfer of power.

“Indira Gandhi’s decision to impose the Emergency was constitutional, but what about the undeclared Emergency going on in the country for the past 11 years?” he asked, claiming that the BJP was pushing RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar’s “bunch of thoughts” over constitutional values.

He said that former RSS Sarsanghachalak Balasaheb Deoras had supported the Emergency and publicly distanced the RSS from Jayaprakash Narayan’s movement. He asked if the BJP today agreed with his stance.

Brijesh Singh, Principal Secretary, Maharashtra Directorate General of Information and Public Relations, told The Hindu, “We don’t use emblems in government advertisements. This has been used as a cultural symbol of democracy.”

Feast on silver plates

Reacting to media reports on members of the Parliamentary panels being served on silver plates, Mr. Sapkal said, “Members of the Parliamentary and Legislative Estimate Committees enjoyed a royal feast costing ₹5,000 per head, served on silver plates rented at ₹550 each. Was this extravagance funded from the Estimate Committee’s money, found in Room 102 of Dhule Rest House?” (Reference to the allegations of bribery against the current chairperson of the Estimates Committee of Maharashtra legislature).

“The government claims that there are no funds for farm loan waivers or to increase the stipend under the Ladki Bahin scheme to ₹2,100, but there’s ample money for such extravaganza,” Mr. Sapkal said.

The Congress released a special ‘Emergency’ edition of its official publication Janmanasachi Shidori, featuring articles by Indira Gandhi, Pupul Jayakar, senior journalist Kumar Ketkar, and Saamana editor and MP Sanjay Raut, among other well known writers.