New Parliament opening row: Which political parties are attending, who all are boycotting? Check here

The opening of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sparked a row across political outfits. On Wednesday, presenting a united front, Congress and 18 other parties decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28. The parties said PM Modi’s call to inaugurate the newly built building himself by “completely sidelining” President Droupadi Murmu, is an insult to the high office of the President and is a violation of the letter and spirit of the Constitution.  

Later, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen's Asaduddin Owaisi too announced that his party’s MPs, too, would not attend. Owaisi said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not inaugurate this. If Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will not inaugurate the new Parliament building, then we (AIMIM) will not attend the ceremony, ” said AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

The joint statement by the Opposition parties read: “The inauguration of a new Parliament building is a momentous occasion. Despite our belief that the government is threatening democracy, and our disapproval of the autocratic manner in which the new Parliament was built, we were open to sinking our differences and marking this occasion. However, Prime Minister Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response.” 

It further said: “The President is not only the Head of State in India but also an integral part of the Parliament. She summons, prorogues, and addresses the Parliament. She must assent for an Act of Parliament to take effect. In short, the Parliament cannot function without the President. Yet, the Prime Minister has decided to inaugurate the new Parliament building without her. This undignified act insults the high office of the President and violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution. It undermines the spirit of inclusion which saw the nation celebrate its first woman Adivasi President."

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said: “Not getting the President to inaugurate the Parliament nor invite him to the ceremony is an insult to the country's highest constitutional post. Parliament is not made of bricks of ego but of constitutional values.” 

Who all are boycotting the Parliament inauguration 

The parties which signed the statement and have decided to boycott the opening are: Congress; Trinamool Congress (TMC); DMK; Janata Dal (United); Aam Aadmi Party (AAP); Nationalist Congress Party (NCP); Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray); Communist Party of India (Marxist); Samajwadi Party (SP); Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD); Communist Party of India (CPI); Muslim League; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM); National Conference; Kerala Congress (M); Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP);  Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK); Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK); and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). 

Separately, AIMIM has also said it would not attend. 

Together, these parties have 242 MPs in both the Houses of Parliament. 

Who all will attend the inauguration ceremony 

The parties who have agreed to attend the inauguration are: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), National People's Party (NPP), Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP), Apna Dal (Soneylal), Republican Party of India (RPI), Tamil Maanila Congress, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Mizo National Front (MNF), Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and Biju Janata Dal (BJD). 

Who all are yet to decide 

K Chandrasekhar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which has 16 MPs in the Parliament, will take a call on this on Thursday.