“No value in a new building”,19 Opposition Parties to Boycott the Inauguration of the New Parliament Building by PM Modi on May 28th
Boycotting the inauguration of the new parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28th, 2023, 19 opposition parties issued a joint statement
New Delhi: Started on the 10th of December, 2020 as a part of India’s Central Vista Redevelopment Project, the new parliament building is nearing its inauguration after its successful completion by Tata Projects Ltd. This multi-billion-dollar project started during the Covid-19 pandemic can house over 1,200 people in its four-storey building.
After Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the new parliament building, there have been a lot of political clashes on it. It is to be noted that PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the new parliament building in 2020. The opposition started with complaints regarding the PM inaugurating it instead of the President of India. To this, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has clarified that the “President is not a member of the Parliament”, therefore, PM Modi would inaugurate it.
After physical and digital invitations were sent to all the Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha along with the Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories, 19 opposition parties including Indian National Congress (INC) have chosen to boycott the event on Sunday. The Opposition Parties issued a joint statement: “When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from the Parliament, we find no value in a new building. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building”. They also said, “Completely side-lining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response.”
