New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday unveiled the plaque to mark the inauguration of the new Parliament building.
The inaugural ceremony was almost a solo show, dominated by Modi alone with the exception of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and a selected few Hindu religious seers and leaders who led Hindu religious rituals - the practice criticised by the constitutional experts as being against the secular values of the country.
As many as 20 opposition parties had boycotted the inaugural ceremony. The opposition leaders wanted the new Parliament Building to be inaugurated by the President of India - who is the constitutional head.
The opposition leaders were also upset because the President and Vice President were not invited for the inaugural ceremony.
Prime Minister Modi reached the new parliament building at 7.30 am. Soon after, he and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla sat down for a puja. Once the puja ended, the Prime Minister prostrated before the historic sceptre 'sengol'.
The Adheenam seers handed over the 'sengol' to the Prime Minister, who sought their blessings on the momentous occasion. The Prime Minister then carried the sceptre to the Lok Sabha chamber and installed it beside the chair of the Speaker.
The Prime Minister then felicitated a group of construction workers involved in the making of the grand new parliament.
This was followed by 'sarv-dharma' (all faith) prayers by representatives from several religions.
The Congress Sunday once again took a swipe at the BJP government after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament House by saying that a "self-glorifying authoritarian PM with utter disdain for Parliamentary procedures, who rarely attends Parliament or engages in it, inaugurates the New Parliament building in 2023".
Slamming the government for choosing of May 28 for the event, Congress General Secretary communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh in a tweet said:
"On this day, May 28th (First Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal) Nehru, the person who did the most to nurture Parliamentary democracy in India, was cremated in 1964. (VD) Savarkar, the person whose ideological ecosystem led to the killing of Mahatma Gandhi, was born in 1883."
He said:
"The President -- the first Adivasi to become President -- is not allowed to fulfil her Constitutional duties and inaugurate the New Parliament building in 2023."
Targeting the Prime Minister, Ramesh, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP said:
"A self-glorifying authoritarian Prime Minister with utter disdain for Parliamentary procedures, who rarely attends Parliament or engages in it, inaugurates the New Parliament building in 2023. Fabrication of facts by Distorians and the drum-beating of the media hits new lows in 2023."
The new parliament building can comfortably seat 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 300 in the Rajya Sabha chamber. For a joint sitting of both the houses, 1,280 MPs can be accommodated in the Lok Sabha chamber.
The old parliament building was completed in 1927, and is now 96 years old. Over the years, it was found to be inadequate for present day requirements.
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