New Parliament: 19 Opposition parties to boycott inauguration by PM Modi, call it an ‘undignified act’ against President

“The BRS will take a call on Thursday (25 May) as to whether or not it would attend the ceremony,” party leader K Keshava Rao told PTI.

Also read: Dalits target BJP for not naming new Parliament after Ambedkar

For and against

The two parties in Andhra Pradesh — the ruling YSRCP and Opposition TDP — have also not made their stand clear, but they might not support Opposition leaders as the two parties are perceived to have moved closer to the BJP due to local political compulsions.

Understandably, the names of the two parties are missing from the statement signed jointly by the 19 Opposition parties.

The signatories to the statement were the Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, Janata Dal (United), AAP, CPI(M), CPI, Swaraj Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Indian Union Muslim League, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Kerala Congress (M), Revolutionary Socialist Party (India), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

In fact, the BRS, which is very vocal in its opposition to the BJP, had dared the prime minister to name the new Parliament complex after the architect of the Indian Constitution — BR Ambedkar.

The BRS had the necessary moral heft to put forth the demand, since it had already named its ultra-modern new Secretariat, which had come up in Hyderabad, after the social reformer and visionary.

Also read: Centre urged to name Parliament building after Ambedkar

‘Injustice to President’

The Opposition parties, on 24 May, collectively announced their decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming it as an “undignified act” that insulted the high office of the President.

In a joint statement, they said that the inauguration of the Parliament building was a momentous occasion, but despite their belief that the government was threatening democracy, and their disapproval of the “autocratic manner” in which the new Parliament was built, they were open to burying their differences and marking this occasion.

नए संसद भवन के उद्घाटन के अवसर पर राष्ट्रपति द्रौपदी मुर्मू जी को पूरी तरह से दरकिनार करना न केवल महामहिम का अपमान है बल्कि लोकतंत्र पर सीधा हमला भी है।

जब लोकतंत्र की आत्मा को ही संसद से निष्कासित कर दिया गया है, तो हमें नई इमारत में कोई मूल्य नहीं दिखता। हम नए संसद भवन के… pic.twitter.com/TTJnNFC2rG

— Congress (@INCIndia) May 24, 2023

“However, Prime Minister Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy, which demands on a commensurate response,” the Opposition parties said.

The parties noted that the President was not only the Head of the State in India, but also an integral part of Parliament as she summons, prorogues, and addresses it.

“In short, the Parliament cannot function without the President. Yet, the prime minister has decided to inaugurate the new Parliament building without her,” they noted.

“This undignified act insults the high office of the president and violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution. It undermines the spirit of inclusion which saw the nation celebrate its first woman Adivasi president,” the parties said.

Also read: KCR moves to name Telangana Secretariat after BR Ambedkar

Wrong timing

The Opposition parties noted that the new Parliament building was built at a great expense during a once-in-a-century pandemic, with no consultation with the people of India or MPs, for whom it was apparently being built.

“When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from Parliament, we find no value in a new building. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building,” they said.

“We will continue to fight in letter, in spirit, and in substance against this ‘authoritarian’ prime minister and his government, and take our message directly to the people of India,” the Opposition parties said in their joint statement.

The Opposition parties had boycotted the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the building by Modi in December 2020, citing concerns about its timing amid the farmers’ protests, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the economic distress due to a lockdown.

Also read: 14 parties petition SC against use of CBI, ED against them

Reconsider stand, requests Pralhad Joshi

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, on Wednesday, termed the decision by the 19 Opposition parties to boycott the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building as “unfortunate” and urged them to reconsider their stand.

“Boycotting and making an issue out of a non-issue is most unfortunate. I appeal to them to reconsider their decision and join the function,” Joshi told reporters in Hyderabad on the sidelines of a national workshop on the National e-Vidhan Application.

Joshi said that the Lok Sabha Speaker was the custodian of Parliament, and he had extended an invitation to the prime minister to inaugurate the building.