Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28, according to a statement from the Lok Sabha Secretariat. Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has invited Modi to inaugurate the new parliament building.
“Construction of the New Parliament Building is complete now and the new building symbolises the spirit of self-reliant India (Atmanirbhar Bharat),” the Lok Sabha statement said. Construction of the existing Parliament was completed in 1927 and there was “lack of space” as per the current needs, it said. “In both the Houses, there was also lack of convenient arrangements for the sitting of the MPs which was affecting efficiency of work of the members. Considering the above, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed resolutions urging the government to construct a new building for the Parliament,” the statement said.
The new structure, which is located next to the current Parliament House, would have a capacity for 888 Lok Sabha members and 300 Rajya Sabha members, respectively, as opposed to the current capabilities of 543 and 250. After the PM laid the foundation stone of the new building on December 10, 2020, construction began in January 2021 and was supposed to be done by November 2022. Tata Projects Ltd. built the structure, which was planned by Ahmedabad-based HCP Design, Planning and Management, the Central Public Works Department's consultant for the wider Central Vista redevelopment project.
Opposition may boycott function
An opposition boycott of Sunday’s inauguration looks likely with Congress slamming PM Modi for “excluding” President Droupadi Murmu from the function, and accusing him of electing dalits and tribals as Presidents only for “electoral reasons.”
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge escalated the attack on BJP, saying former President Ramnath Kovind was not invited for the foundation-laying ceremony and President Murmu is not getting the honour of inaugurating the new Parliament building. While Kovind belonged to the SC community, Prez Murmu is from the ST segment.
Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “The President should inaugurate the new Parliament House, not the PM. ” Well-placed Congress sources said a boycott is a strong possibility, but the party will take a decision in tandem with other like-minded parties.