Parliament building inauguration on Savarkar birth anniversary

The chosen date, which coincides with the birth anniversary of Hindutva ideology V D Savarkar, has drawn strong reactions from several parties. The Congress party, in particular, has labelled it as a “complete insult” to the nation’s founding fathers.

Some opposition parties have raised questions about why the prime minister, as the head of the executive branch rather than the legislature, would be inaugurating the new Parliament building. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh expressed his discontent on Twitter, describing it as a complete insult to the nation’s founding figures, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Netaji Bose, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. His response was in reference to a tweet by TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, who questioned the choice of May 28, Savarkar’s birthday, instead of November 26, 2023, which would mark the 75th year of the Indian Constitution and the ideal occasion for the inauguration. The Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, met with Prime Minister Modi and extended an invitation for him to inaugurate the new building, as stated by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

The inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28, 2023, coinciding with the 140th birth anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, was announced by Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP IT department. Malviya highlighted Savarkar’s significance, noting his birth on May 28, 1883, in Bhagur. He further mentioned that the new Parliament building is designed to endure for a minimum of 150 years, while acknowledging that the existing premises have been in use for a century.

RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha questioned why the President of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan, wasn’t inaugurating the new Parliament building. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also raised concerns about the Prime Minister inaugurating the building, stating that the separation of powers should be respected and suggesting that the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chair of the Rajya Sabha could have performed the inauguration. Owaisi further questioned the source of funding for the building, emphasising that it was constructed using public funds. Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore echoed the party’s allegation of restricted speech in Parliament, emphasising the importance of the voices of the people and the right of opposition members to speak freely.

Tagore expressed concern about the functioning of microphones in the new Parliament building, emphasising the importance of allowing the opposition to speak freely. He highlighted that Parliament is the symbol of democracy and should uphold the principle of giving voice to all.

According to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the new Parliament building has the capacity to seat 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 300 members in the Rajya Sabha chamber. In the case of a joint sitting of both Houses, a total of 1,280 members can be accommodated in the Lok Sabha chamber.

The foundation stone for the new Parliament building was laid by the Prime Minister on December 10, 2020.