Will herald dawn of self-reliant India: PM opens new Parl House amid Oppn boycott

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, May 28

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the new Parliament complex amid a boycott by 21 opposition parties and described the occasion as a golden moment for Indian democracy, signalling the dawn of a self-reliant and developed nation which will inspire the world.

In a 35-minute speech delivered from the grand and cavernous Lok Sabha hall that looked resplendent in motifs of peacock, the national bird, Modi said the new Parliament reflected the aspirations and resolve of the “new India” to work towards achieving greater heights. The colour scheme of the House of the People remains green as in the original building that stands alongside the new one.

“I am confident that the new Parliament will herald the dawn of a new, resurgent, developed India.... Every brick, every wall, every particle of this Parliament is dedicated to the welfare of the poor. The path of priority to the deprived passes through here,” declared the PM in remarks that were preceded by reading of congratulatory messages from President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who were not physically present at the event. The PM occupied the dais flanked by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh.

The President, in her message read by Harivansh, said she was “deeply satisfied that the Prime Minister, the symbol of faith of Parliament, is inaugurating the complex.”

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

Elements sourced from all states:

• Bamboo flooring from Tripura
• Teakwood from Nagpur
• Sandstone, Kesharia green stone, red granite, white marble from Rajasthan
• Lattice work from Noida and Rajasthan
• Materials for Ashoka Emblem in Parliament chambers from Aurangabad
• Manufactured sand (environment-friendly) from Haryana
• Brass work from Ahmedabad

The message came amid the Opposition stand of skipping the event to protest the inauguration by the PM instead of the President.

Few kilometres away, national-level wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat were detained by the Delhi police today for trying to storm the new Parliament building as part of protests seeking the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual assault.

As the visuals of detained wrestlers and grand opening of a new Parliament address presented a contrast, the Prime Minister, in first remarks from a new Lok Sabha chamber, said, “Democracy is India’s inspiration, Constitution its resolution. Parliament is the finest embodiment of this spirit. We are not just a democratic nation. We are the mother of democracy.”

Earlier today, multi-faith prayers marked the opening ceremony for the new building, with the PM prostrating before the historic Sengol ahead of its installation near the Speaker’s Chair following elaborate rituals.

Special stamp, coin released

PM Modi on Sunday released a special commemorative postage stamp and a Rs 75 coin to mark the inauguration of the new Parliament building. He released the coin and the stamp at the inauguration event held at the Lok Sabha chamber of the new Parliament building. The weight of the coin is 34.65-35.35 gm. PTI

“We are fortunate to have restored the glory of the Sengol, which not only marked the transfer of power from the British to India in 1947, but also symbolised the path of duty. It will inspire us in our work,” Modi said to a vast and distinguished gathering featuring Supreme Court and High Court judges, former PM HD Deve Gowda, MPs of 25 parties, including ruling NDA constituents and seven non-BJP outfits (YSRCP, TDP, BJD, BSP, LJP, SAD, JD-S); Chief Ministers of BJP and NDA-ruled states; Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi and Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran. Tata Sons has built the new complex, which marks India’s transition from a colonial-era Parliament inaugurated in 1927 to a new complex designed and executed by Indians in under two and a half years.

Modi had laid its foundation in December 2020 in a ceremony the Opposition had skipped.

“The new Parliament will witness the sunrise of a self-reliant India. It will mirror the aspirations of 140 crore citizens and call for not just India’s but global development. When India moves forward the world moves forward,” Modi said, describing nine years of his prime ministership as a period of “Nav Nirmaan (newness) and Gareeb Kalyan (welfare of the poor)”. “Today when I feel elated to see a new Parliament for new India, I feel equally satisfied that 4 crore houses, 11 crore toilets, 4 lakh km rural roads and 30,000 panchayat bhavans were built during nine years,” he said, adding that laws enacted in the new complex would lay the foundation for a developed India, and would inspire other nations too.

Urging citizens and politicians to adopt the spirit of “nation first”, the PM said Amrit Kaal — 25 years until the centenary of India’s independence — is a time for new resolves as 21st century India “leaves behind the shackles of slavery and reverses the tide of lost glory”.

Both Birla and Harivansh credited the PM for accomplishing the task of building a new Parliament in record time and leading from the front. The complex houses a digital gallery to showcase 60,000 construction workers.

Lotus, peacock: Flavour of national symbols

• Lok Sabha designed in green in motifs of peacock, the national bird
• Rajya Sabha designed in red in motifs of lotus, the national flower
• Banyan, the national tree, stands in centre of the complex
• GALLERY ON SHRAMJEEVIS: Showcases work of 60,000 construction workers

Rs 925 cr cost of construction

Construction began in early 2021

About iconic building

4-storey triangle-shaped building on 64,500 sq metres

3 main gates Gyan Dwar, Shakti Dwar and Karma Dwar

1,700 doors, windows

Corridor length: 3.5 km

PM releases Rs 75 coin, postal stamp to mark occasion

No mention of Oppn in address

PM Modi steers clear of any mention of the Opposition in his address, even as 21 parties skipped the event

Behaving like a king: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused PM Modi of treating the inaugural as a coronation of a new king