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‘President reduced to tokenism under BJP rule’: Kharge's jibe at Centre
Mallikarjun Kharge demands that the president should inaugurate the new Parliament building which would symbolise the govt’s commitment to democratic values.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday lashed out the Narendra Modi-led central government for allegedly disrespecting the President of India by not inviting her to the inauguration of the new Parliament complex this weekend and declared the president's office had been reduced to 'tokenism under the BJP-RSS government'.
"It looks like the Modi government ensured election of President of India from Dalit and Tribal communities for electoral reasons. It has repeatedly disrespected propriety. Office of the President of India is reduced to tokenism under the BJP-RSS government," he tweeted.
Kharge insisted president Droupadi Murmu - as the highest constitutional authority of India's supreme legislative body - should inaugurate the new building that will symbolise the Indian government's commitment to democratic values and constitutional propriety.
"While former president Shri Ramnath Kovind was not invited for the new Parliament foundation-laying ceremony… president of India Smt Droupadi Murmu is not being invited for the inauguration of the new Parliament building," he declared.
"The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India and the President of India is its highest constitutional authority. She alone represents the government, opposition, and every citizen alike. She is the 'first citizen of India'. Inauguration of the new Parliament building by her will symbolise the government's commitment to democratic values and constitutional propriety," the Congress chief added.
Prime minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate and dedicate the new Parliament building - a triangular four-storey structure with a built-up area of 64,500 square metres - to the nation on Sunday; the day also happens to be the birth anniversary of Veer Savarkar.
However, several opposition leaders, including the Congress' Rahul Gandhi, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen's Asaduddin Owaisi, the Trinamool Congress' Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, and the Communist Party of India's D Raja have objected to this, citing protocol that says the prime minister is the head of the government and not the head of the legislature.
"The President should inaugurate the new Parliament House, not the prime minister!" Rahul Gandhi tweeted last week. Owaisi asked why Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is also the vice president of the country, couldn't inaugurate the building.
"Why should PM inaugurate Parliament? He is head of the executive, not legislature. We have separation of powers and honourable Lok Sabha speaker and Rajya Sabha chair(person) could have inaugurated. It's made with public money... why is PM behaving like his 'friends' have sponsored it from their private funds?" the AIMIM chief tweeted.
The foundation stone of the new building was laid December 10, 2020. The new building is capable of accommodating a total of 1,280 members in case of a joint sitting of both Houses.
