“If the lion has got teeth, it will, of course, show them,” Anupam Kher on National Emblem Controversy

Actor Anupam Kher said this is the lion of independent India which will also bite if need be. “If the lion has got teeth, it will, of course, show them,” the actor tweeted amid the row over the National Emblem atop the new Parliament building.

Bollywood actor Anupam Kher on Wednesday commented on the controversy over the representation of the National Emblem atop the new Parliament building. “If the lion has got teeth, it will, of course, show them. This is, after all, the lion of independent India. If needed, the lion will bite also. Jai Hind,” the actor tweeted along with a video shot at Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya.

The National Emblem on the top of the new Parliament building has emerged as the centre of a fresh controversy as opposition leaders raised objections over the portrayal where they claimed the lion looks nothing like the original one. It has been alleged that the Parliament building’s lion is portrayed aggressively with its teeth being displayed apart from the bated fangs of the symbol.

Artists Sunil Deore and Romiel Moses who designed the 9,500kg bronze emblem claimed there has been no deviation from the original design. The lion looks different as the photo has been taken from a low angle, they said.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the difference is because of the difference in the height and the scale of the two structures. “If an exact replica of the original were to be placed on the new building, it would barely be visible beyond the peripheral rail. The ‘experts’ should also know that the original placed in Sarnath is at ground level while the new emblem is at a height of 33 mtrs from the ground,” the minister tweeted.

The Aam Aadmi Party has also disapproved of the “aggressive” portrayal of the lions and said nobody has permission to tamper with any constitutional heritage in any manner.

“Narendra Modi Ji, please observe the face of the Lion, whether it is representing the statue of Great Sarnath or a distorted version of the Gir lion. Please check it and if it needs, mend the same, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, said on Twitter.

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