The inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be held in two phases and will include puja, installation of the ‘Sengol’, screening of two short films and release of a commemorative coin and stamp, reports said on Thursday.
Full Schedule of the Inauguration Ceremony of New Parliament House
- The program will commence at 7:30 am with a havan (a ritualistic fire ceremony) and puja (worship) near the Mahatma Gandhi statue. Dignitaries present during this time will include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, among others.
- Following the puja, the installation of Sengol inside the Lok Sabha will take place between 8:30 am and 9:00 am.
- At 9:30 am, a prayer meeting will be held, attended by Shankaracharya, scholars, pundits, and saints. Adi Shiva and Adi Shankara may also be worshipped during this prayer meeting.
- The second phase of the program will begin at 12 pm with the national anthem. Two short films will be screened on this occasion.
- The messages from the Vice President and the President will be read out by the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha. Additionally, the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha will address the gathering.
- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will also deliver a speech, and a commemorative coin and stamp will be released during the event.
- The program will conclude with an address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scheduled for approximately 2:30 pm.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that 20 ‘aadeenams’ from Tamil Nadu, including Tiruvavaduthurai, Perur, and Madurai, have been invited for the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28. The Sengol, a sceptre that was used to symbolise the transfer of power from the British to the people of India in 1947, will also be installed in the new Parliament building.
In Tamil, the term ‘Aadeenam’ refers to both a Shaivite monastery and the head of such math.
The aadeenams were invited in recognition of Tamil Nadu’s role in the independence movement, Sitharaman said. Tamil Nadu has a “big proud part" when the Sengol (sceptre) was handed over to the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, symbolising the transfer of power from the British to the people of India, she said.
The decision to install the Sengol in the new Parliament was made based on the advice of the Tiruvavduthurai adheenam, following consultations between the late CR Rajagopalachary and the Shaivite pontiff, following consultations with Nehru regarding the matter.
“The pontiffs will attend the event, there will be Oduvars (scholars in Shaivite scriptures and hymns) who will recite the Thevaram. In 1947 also the Sengol was handed over to Nehru when othuvargal recited Kolaru Pathigam," she said.
The decision by the Prime Minister to inaugurate the new Parliament building has faced criticism from approximately 20 opposition parties, leading them to announce a boycott of the inauguration ceremony.
A plea was also filed in the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Lok Sabha secretariat for the inauguration of the new Parliament building by President Droupadi Murmu. The plea argued that the President is the only person who can inaugurate the new Parliament building and that the Lok Sabha secretariat and the secretary general, Lok Sabha, do not have the authority to do so.
The National Democratic Alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, has described the opposition’s stance as a “direct disrespect to the democratic principles and constitutional values of our esteemed nation."