New Parliament inauguration row LIVE: ‘Eminent’ citizens write letter against opposition boycott

Special traffic arrangements will be put in place in the national capital in view of the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28, police said on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the new Parliament building will make every Indian proud, as he posted a video of the newly-constructed complex on Twitter and urged people to share it on the social media platform with the hashtag 'MyParliamentMyPride'.

Modi also urged people to share the video with their voiceover which he will retweet.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah seemed impressed with the new Parliament building after a detailed video showcasing the interior and exterior features was released on Friday, two days ahead of the inauguration ceremony. Omar Abdullah, the former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, acknowledged the need for a new and improved Parliament building and said “this one looks pretty damn impressive.”

Slamming the opposition parties' call for boycotting the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several leaders and activists from Jammu and Kashmir on Friday extended support to the inauguration while also describing the opposition's decision as "childish and trivial".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will inaugurate the new parliament building in Delhi on Sunday. Though the details regarding the inauguration have not been made public by the government, it is reported that the event will be held in two phases. The ceremony will begin with rituals that are likely to be held in a “pandal” or canopy near the Gandhi statue in the parliament. Read here

270 eminent citizens, included 88+ retired bureaucrats have written a letter condemning Opposition parties for their behaviour over new Parliament building inauguration.

“This tradition is not limited to Tamil culture alone but is an integral part of Indian traditions. The Chola emperors were renowned as some of the greatest rulers in the world, and they also conducted the ‘Sengol’ ceremony. Prime Minister Modi is a capable leader, and he is rightfully performing the ‘Sengol’ by inaugurating the new Parliament Building,” said Devanathan Yadav, Founder-President of Tamil Nadu-based Inthiya Makkal Kalvi Munnetra Kazhagam (IMKMK).

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday said, “An article was published in the Time Magazine of America in 1947 and all those who are protesting (against the inauguration of new parliament building) should read this article and gain knowledge about what is the symbolism of ‘Sengol’ and what happened in 1947.”

Training his guns at the grand old party, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the 'Sengol' given to former Prime Minister Pandit Nehru was banished to a museum as a 'walking stick'.

Shah in a series of tweets questioned and asked why Congress hates Indian traditions and culture.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday described as “unfortunate” the decision by 20 opposition parties to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building and said there should be a limit to doing politics.

Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, was speaking to reporters at Rajpipla town of Narmada district. He said the inauguration of the new Parliament building should be celebrated as a festival by the entire nation.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar took a jibe at JDS leader saying, “The new Parliament building should be inaugurated by the President... HD Kumaraswamy should not forget that when there was presidential election, their party had boycotted voting for the president of the country.”

NDPP leader TR Zeliang, speaking on the new parliament building row said, "Everyone should appreciate the building of the new Parliament and I congratulate the Govt of India for the concept. Whoever will inaugurate is not important. A new building is to come up and a new development has taken place in such a short span of time."

As Congress questioned former PM Deve Gowda’s decision to attend the new Parliament building's inauguration, former Karnataka chief minister and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy said, “We are not slaves of Congress and will take our own decision. Why do we need to follow Congress?”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday will dedicate the newly constructed Parliament complex to the nation with full pomp and show. The inauguration ceremony would commence early in the morning with a havan and a multi-religion prayer followed by the installation of the golden 'Sengol' near the chair of the Speaker in Lok Sabha.

The credit of revealing this lost gem to the nation goes to notable classical dancer Padma Subrahmanyam. The Prime Minister Office (PMO) came to know about Sengol in 2021 when Subrahmanyam wrote a letter to the prime minister, translating a Tamil article on it and emphasised that the significance of the Sengol should be widely publicised.

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Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Khushbu Sundar on Friday said, “This affirms my belief in our judiciary system. Expect some to fall in line atleast after this judicial snub by the Apex court. The #SC refuses to entertain pleas regarding the new parliament building opening and the controversy surrounding it.”

MoS Law Arjun Ram Meghwal on Friday said, “I welcome the decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in rejecting the frivolous petition seeking to interfere in the inauguration of the new Parliament building.”

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Amar Pattnaik said, “Our party president Naveen Patnaik has taken this decision that BJD will attend the inaugural function of the new building of the Parliament.”

Former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Thursday said he will be attending the inauguration of the new Parliament building, saying the property has been built with taxpayers' money and is not a BJP office. Deve Gowda stressed that he will be participating in the inauguration ceremony as a former Prime Minister and a citizen of the country.

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After Supreme Court's decison to refuse hearing the plea to invite President Droupadi Mrumu to the inauguration of the new Parliament building, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said on Wednesday, “I would ask the Prime Minister to reconsider his decision. Don't take away the rights of the constitutional speaker, the head of the Parliament, only because she is a tribal woman. She is the President of our country. The head of the Parliament should inaugurate.”

Supreme Court refused to entertain a PIL by a lawyer seeking a direction to the Central Govt to invite President Droupadi Murmu to the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28. Lawyer withdraws the plea.

"It's not a function of this court to look into these things," remarks SC.

Goa Minister Sudin Dhavalikar said on Friday, “PM Modi has decided to inaugurate the new parliament building on 28th May. I congratulate him on behalf of the entire MGP party. I condemn the statements of other opposition parties, earlier when Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone of the parliament building, no one said anything.”

Odisha minister Pramila Malik responding to Congress' criticism for attending the inauguration of the new parliament building said, “Let Congress say what they want to. BJD is answerable to the people, it will do what's good for them.”

When West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was meeting her Delhi and Punjab counterparts, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, respectively, in Kolkata on Tuesday evening, a message to join the inauguration of the new Parliament building popped up on a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader’s mobile phone, said people aware of developments.

The discussions between the three chief ministers briefly touched upon the May 28 event and hours later, the TMC announced that it was pulling out of the ceremony. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) followed suit after their two chief ministers landed in Mumbai.

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Visuals from outside the new parliament building, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating on May 28, showed heavy security arrangements on Thursday. The building, which is at the heart of Lutyens in Delhi, has been constructed as a part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project.

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