Modi cites Oz spirit to counter Oppn boycott

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, May 25

In a veiled but evident dig at 21 opposition parties that have decided to boycott the May 28 inauguration of the new Parliament complex, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the presence of the entire Australian political spectrum at a recent Indian diaspora event in Sydney in a show “of democratic spirit and honour for India”.

Back home after a five-day tour of Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia, the Prime Minister, who arrived in the wee hours of today, said while the presence of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Indian community event was a matter of pride, “more remarkable was an equally enthusiastic participation of both the ruling and opposition party members of Australia in the function”.

“Both sides showered equal respect on India in a show of democratic spirit. This was not Modi’s honour. Let us not make that mistake. This was the honour of India’s resilience, and of the spirit of 140 crore Indians....As India’s global honour soars, so do expectations from us. And as you all know, I like to challenge challenges. We will fulfil both our tasks — the task of scaling new heights and the task of caring for our roots, our poor,” the PM said at a felicitation event the ruling BJP, led by party chief JP Nadda, organised for Modi as he returned home. Later in the day, Modi flagged off the Delhi-Dehradun Vande Bharat Express. The comments came as politics on the May 28 inauguration of the new Parliament building by PM Modi intensified and outfits took clear positions.

21 parties to skip parl function, 25 to participate

Petition in sc seeks inauguration by president

Havan, multi-religion prayer before opening

As against 21 opposition parties that will boycott the unveiling in protest against the inauguration by the PM instead of President Droupadi Murmu, 25 will attend.

Of those attending, 18 are ruling NDA constituents and seven are non-NDA parties – the JD(S), SAD, BJD, TDP, YSRCP, LJP (Paswan) and the BSP. A Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh, Acharya Pramod Krishan, today broke ranks saying his party should review its call. “It is fine to oppose Modi but not the country,” Krishan said.

Ahead of the unveiling, meanwhile, the BJP again urged the Opposition to rethink, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioning how then UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and not the state’s Governor, had laid the foundation stone of the Chhattisgarh Assembly building.

Meanwhile, a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking a direction for the opening of Parliament by President Murmu. Petitioner CR Jaya Sukin, who hails from Kanyakumari, alleged that the Lok Sabha Secretariat violated the Constitution by not inviting the President for the inauguration.

The ceremony to inaugurate the new Parliament will begin with a 7 am havan and a multi-religion prayer, followed by a formal opening in the Lok Sabha chamber by PM Modi.

Poser by Congress

Why deny President right to open Parliament? 140 crore Indians seek an answer. — Mallikarjun Kharge, Cong president

Rethink, FM tells Oppn

The PM always gave the President due respect. The Oppn should do a rethink. — Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister

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