The Congress party once again criticized the BJP government following the inauguration of the new Parliament House by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, May 28. The Congress stated that the Prime Minister, who they described as a "self-glorifying authoritarian" with disregard for parliamentary procedures, rarely attends or engages in Parliament. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building and placed the 1947 Sengol, which was given to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the eve of Independence, near the Lok Sabha speaker's chair. However, 19 opposition parties, including Congress, boycotted the event.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the inauguration was considered as a “coronation”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building on Sunday, and installed the 1947 Sengol that was given to the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru on the eve of Independence, near the Lok Sabha speaker’s chair. Besides Congress, 19 other opposition parties boycotted the inauguration of the new Parliament House.
Rahul tweeted saying, “Parliament is the voice of the people! The Prime Minister is considering the inauguration of the Parliament House as a coronation.”
संसद लोगों की आवाज़ है!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 28, 2023
प्रधानमंत्री संसद भवन के उद्घाटन को राज्याभिषेक समझ रहे हैं।
Jairam Ramesh, the Congress General Secretary and communications in-charge, criticized the government for choosing May 28 for the inauguration, stating that it was the day when Nehru, who played a significant role in nurturing parliamentary democracy in India, was cremated in 1964. He also pointed out that V.D. Savarkar, whose ideological ecosystem was connected to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, was born on the same day in 1883.
Ramesh further commented on the President's absence, stating, "The President, the first Adivasi to hold the position, is not allowed to fulfill her constitutional duties and inaugurate the new Parliament building in 2023." He targeted the Prime Minister, describing him as a "self-glorifying authoritarian" who shows little respect for parliamentary procedures and rarely participates in them. Ramesh expressed his disappointment with the fabrication of facts by "distorians" and criticized the media's coverage in 2023.
28 मई को आज के दिन:
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 28, 2023
1. नेहरू, जिन्होंने भारत में संसदीय लोकतंत्र को मज़बूत करने के लिए सबसे अधिक काम किया, उनका 1964 में अंतिम संस्कार किया गया था।
2. सावरकर, जिसकी विचारधारा ने ऐसा माहौल बनाया जो महात्मा गांधी की हत्या का कारण बना, उसका जन्म 1883 में हुआ था।
3. राष्ट्रपति,…
Sharad Pawar, the President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of consultation regarding the construction and inauguration of the new Parliament building. He emphasized that as per norms, the President of India should address the first session of Parliament every year and therefore should have inaugurated the new building. Pawar supported the decision of senior opposition leaders to stay away from the event.
Supriya Sule, a Lok Sabha MP, highlighted the importance of having an opposition in a democracy and criticized the absence of opposition representation at such a significant event. She mentioned that the opposition was only informed about the event through a WhatsApp message three days prior. Sule called for greater outreach and communication from the government to ensure the inclusion of opposition leaders.
“So to have such a large event and open a new parliament building without an opposition, it does not mean there is a democracy in this country. It is an incomplete event,” she said. “This government, which has been in power for the last 9 years, has had many bills passed. When they have bills that they want to be passed, they have taken the opposition in confidence. Their senior leaders and ministers do call leaders of the opposition.
“For all the pooja and welcoming going on, we see Om Birla ji, who is the head of Lok Sabha. Why are we not seeing the vice president? There is a Rajya Sabha in the Parliament and the head of the Rajya Sabha in the Parliament is the vice president of india. So even the vice president of india is neglected which is so unfortunate, because it is an insult to Rajya Sabha,” she added.
#WATCH | To open a new Parliament building without the Opposition makes it an incomplete event. It means there is no democracy in the country: NCP MP Supriya Sule, in Pune pic.twitter.com/K9gedWLtPq
— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2023
KC Venugopal, the General Secretary of Congress and a Rajya Sabha MP, raised concerns about the treatment of high constitutional office holders. He pointed out that during the foundation stone-laying ceremony, the then President Ramnath Kovind was kept away, and now, at the inauguration, President Droupadi Murmu has been sidelined. Venugopal criticized the RSS for what he called an upper caste, anti-backward mindset, which he believed led to the exclusion of these high-ranking officials. He accused Prime Minister Modi of using them as tokens for electoral politics without allowing them to be part of significant and historic occasions.
At the foundation stone laying ceremony of the new Parliament building, then Hon’ble President Sh. Ramnath Kovind was kept away from the ceremony.
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) May 28, 2023
At its inauguration, President Droupadi Murmu has been sidelined.
It is the upper caste, anti-backward mindset of the RSS because…
(With IANS inputs)