National emblem: Ferocious lions' statue on new parliament raises eyebrows

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a bronze cast of India's national emblem on top of the new parliament building with much fanfare.

The 6.5m (21ft 3in)-tall cast shows four Asiatic lions mounted back-to-back on a circular disc.

But the new statue, adapted from an ancient Indian sculpture dating back to 250BC, has raised many eyebrows.

Critics say the lions have been given a makeover and the new "ferocious" look strays from their original depiction.

Mr Modi shared a video of the unveiling on Monday morning that showed the cast - weighing 9,500kg (20,943 pounds) - on top of the central foyer of the new parliament building.

A senior government official said the installation of India's national emblem - adapted from the Lion Capital of Ashoka, a sculpture that was atop one of the several pillars erected by Emperor Ashoka during his reign in 250BC - was an "important milestone in the decolonisation" of the capital city.

But many social media users pointed out that the demeanour of the lions in the new cast differed significantly from the original depiction and that instead of looking "benevolent and regal", they now "snarled".

The new parliament building - which is still under construction - is part of the government's 200bn-rupee ($2.7bn; £2bn) plan to modernise old colonial government buildings in Delhi.

Opposition parties have criticised the government for the cost of the project and its aesthetics.

On Monday, Sitaram Yechury, a leader of the opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist), said that PM Modi's involvement in unveiling the national emblem violated the constitution as it "subverted" the separation of power between the executive, represented by Mr Modi, and the legislature, which the parliament building symbolised.

Mr Yechury also criticised the prime minister for performing a puja - Hindu religious ceremony - at the event. Opposition parties also said that they had not been invited to the unveiling.

The new parliament building was expected to be completed by August 2022 in time for the country's celebrations of 75 years of independence. But officials later said the building would be complete only in October.