'Insulted': Oppositions attack Centre over National Emblem unveiled atop new parliament building

They have also alleged that the emblem has been modified and "insulted". The designers of the massive sculpture, however, have claimed that there is "no deviation" from the original emblem.

Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) tweeted pictures of the original and the newly unveiled sculpture side by side and said the lions in the national emblem are known to have a mild expression, but those on the new one appear to have a "man-eater tendency".

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Modi's "Amrit kaal" remark, the RJD's official handle tweeted in Hindi, "The original emblem has a mild expression, but those built during Amrit Kaal show a man-eater's tendency to consume everything in the country."

The tweet added that every symbol "shows the thought of a human being". "Symbols convey the true nature of a human," it added.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar and a former CEO of the government-run Prasar Bharati, called it an "insult to our national symbol, the majestic Ashokan Lions".

"Insult to our national symbol, the majestic Ashokan Lions.  Original is on the left, graceful, regally confident. The one on the right is Modi’s version, put above new Parliament building — snarling, unnecessarily aggressive and disproportionate. Shame! Change it immediately!," his tweet read which shared pictures of the emblem and its new version side by side.

Responding to Sircar's remarks, BJP's Chandra Kumar Bose told the media: "Everything evolves in society, we have also evolved 75 years after Independence. An artist's expression is not necessarily kind of a government approval. For everything, you cannot blame the government of India or the honourable Prime Minister."

Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, who is at the centre of a cotroversy over her recent remarks on goddess Kali, posted the two pictures on her Twitter handle without comment.

The national emblem atop the new parliament building is made of bronze with a total weight of 9,500 Kg and is 6.5 m in height.

It has been cast at the top of the central foyer.

A supporting structure of steel weighing around 6,500 Kg has been constructed to support the emblem.

The new parliament building is being constructed by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

Starting in January last year with an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore, the project is supposed to be completed in time for the winter session of Parliament.

The new building is expected to accommodate up to 888 members in the Lok Sabha, 384 in Rajya Sabha and up to 1,272 seats for a joint session.

This has been done to keep in mind a possible expansion of Parliament after the next delimitation.