Indira, Rajiv too inaugurated buildings on Parliament premises: BJP

NEW DELHI: Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday slammed Congress over its objection to inauguration of the new Parliament building by PM Narendra Modi, alleging the party lacks “national spirit and sense of pride” in India’s progress. The minister asked why cannot Congress leaders “just smile” and join India on this momentous achievement and her march to greatness.
BJP, on the other hand, cited several occasions in the past when Congress leaders, inaugurated buildings on the Parliament premises, to drive home their point that the PM inaugurating the new building was not the first time.
Puri, whose ministry has undertaken the construction work of the building, put out a series of tweets questioning Congress. “Why can’t they just join the nation in celebrating this creation of a valuable asset for posterity, as the New India’s temple of the mother of all democracies & jettison the prolonged sulk & indulgence in partisan polemics based on falsehoods,” Puri said.
“After uncharitable comments about President in the past by its leaders, Congress president now makes uncalled for & gratuitous comments on her election...!,” he said.
Taking a dig at Congress, the Union minister in another tweet said its leaders should feel better if they remember October 24, 1975 — the day when Indira Gandhi inaugurated the parliament annexe! Or August 15, 1987, when Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation of the parliament library.
“From criticising the new parliament building & questioning its very necessity despite many of them advocating for it before but not executing it, Congress president & other worthies are now shifting the goalpost by generously misquoting an article a day from the Constitution!,” Puri also tweeted.
Congress has accused the government of disrespecting constitutional propriety and demanded that President Droupadi Murmu should do the inauguration instead of the Prime Minister. Modi will inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28 following an invitation by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
A BJP functionary said parliamentary records show that the so-called crossing of the lines drawn by the Constitution in terms of PMs leading the unveiling ceremonies in Parliament is not a recent phenomenon and PM Modi is not the first.
“The first big construction in Parliament complex took place post 1970. Then President of India V V Giri laid the foundation of the Parliament Annexe Building on August 3, 1970. But the Sansadiya Soudha building was eventually inaugurated by then PM Indira Gandhi on October 24, 1975. That was exactly four months after she had imposed an Emergency, curtailing fundamental rights and ordering detention of most opposition leaders,” the BJP functionary said.
He said: “The second big construction in the Parliament complex, too, had the PM of the day occupying the centre stage. On August 15, 1987, PM Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation of the Parliament Library building”.