Unveiling national emblem atop Central Vista: Not sitting well with citizens

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday unveiled the national emblem at the new Parliament building. However, his photo-op didn't sit well with netizens and political leaders alike.

While leaders like Asaduddin Owaisi and Sitaram Yechury pointed out that the Speaker of the Lok Sabha should have been the one unveiling the emblem, Gaurav Gogoi noted that the leaders of all major political parties too should have been present on the occasion.

Others also took note that while our Consitution separates religion and state, this wasn't paid heed to during the ceremony organised at the new Parliament building.

Interestingly, the national emblem unveiled by the prime minister also showed the lions (from the Ashoka statue at Sarnath) as angry and roaring. A parody account on Twitter commented that the gravitas from the old statue had been replaced, with what Prashant Bhushan called "Modi's new India". Another user also quipped that changing the national emblem equated treason.