Criticism of national emblem on new Par building due to political reasons: BJP

New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday asserted that the national emblem unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Parliament's new building was an exact replica of the one in Sarnath and accused the Opposition of deliberately trying to create one controversy after another for political reasons.

Opposition members and activists have accused the government of distorting the national emblem by replacing the "graceful and regally confident" Ashoka lions with those having menacing and aggressive posture and sought immediate change.

BJP chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni said the real reason behind the Opposition's allegation is its frustration over India creating its own Parliament building under Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, replacing the one created by the British over 150 years back.

"The opposition is totally due to political reasons. 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.

Critics are comparing the national emblem inaugurated on Monday with the one in Sarnath, considered the inspiration behind the national insignia, by producing pictures taken from different angles, Baluni said.

This also must be noted that the emblem over the Parliament building is 6.5 metre high, almost three times the one in Sarnath, he said.

The state emblem of India is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Emperor Ashoka which is preserved in the Sarnath Museum. The Lion Capital has four lions mounted back to back on a circular abacus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Monday unveiled the cast of the national emblem atop the new Parliament building in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh.