The Congress party once again voiced its criticism towards the BJP government following the inauguration of the new Parliament House by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress accused the Prime Minister of being a “self-glorifying authoritarian” who disregards parliamentary procedures and rarely engages in Parliament. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building and placed the 1947 Sengol, given to Jawaharlal Nehru, near the Lok Sabha speaker’s chair. However, 19 opposition parties, including Congress, boycotted the event.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi described the inauguration as a “coronation.” He tweeted, “Parliament is the voice of the people! The Prime Minister is considering the inauguration of the Parliament House as a coronation.”
Jairam Ramesh, the Congress General Secretary, criticized the government for choosing May 28 for the inauguration, which was the day Nehru was cremated in 1964, emphasizing Nehru’s role in nurturing parliamentary democracy. Ramesh also noted the birth anniversary of V.D. Savarkar, whose ideology was linked to Gandhi’s assassination, coincided with the same day.
Ramesh expressed disappointment over the absence of the President, the first Adivasi to hold the position, from inaugurating the new Parliament building. He targeted the Prime Minister, accusing him of being a “self-glorifying authoritarian” who disregards parliamentary procedures and rarely participates in them. Ramesh criticized the media’s coverage and the distortion of facts by “distorians” in 2023.
Sharad Pawar, President of the Nationalist Congress Party, expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of consultation regarding the construction and inauguration of the new Parliament building. He emphasized that the President of India should have inaugurated the building as per norms. Pawar supported the decision of senior opposition leaders to boycott the event.
Supriya Sule, a Lok Sabha MP, highlighted the importance of opposition representation in a democracy and criticized the lack of communication regarding the event. She called for greater outreach from the government to ensure the inclusion of opposition leaders.
KC Venugopal, the General Secretary of Congress and a Rajya Sabha MP, raised concerns about the treatment of high constitutional office holders. He criticized the exclusion of the President from the foundation stone-laying ceremony and the inauguration, accusing the RSS of an upper-caste, anti-backward mindset. Venugopal accused Prime Minister Modi of using them as tokens for electoral politics without allowing them to be part of significant and historic occasions.
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