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With just a day left for the inauguration of the new Parliament building, special traffic arrangements will be made in the national capital in view of the inauguration of the new Parliament. Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory, according to which New Delhi district will be considered as a controlled area. The advisory states that only public transport vehicles, civil service candidates, bonafide residents, labeled vehicles and emergency vehicles will be allowed to move in the New Delhi area.
In the midst of the controversy over the inauguration of the new Parliament House by PM Modi, the Congress has once again hit back at the BJP, saying that the ruling party is breaking parliamentary traditions and the country’s constitution. Addressing the media, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said, “BJP is completely breaking the traditions of the country.”
Pointing to the traditions of Parliament, the Congress leader said, “The President of India is an integral part of the parliamentary system and Parliament”.
“They are completely ignoring the President (Draupadi Murmu), who is the first woman tribal President. Then, they are accusing the Congress and the whole country is watching that the BJP is breaking parliamentary traditions and even the Constitution of India. He has no moral right to criticize the Congress for boycotting the opening of Parliament.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad came out in support of the BJP-led central government and said all parliamentarians should welcome the construction of the new parliament building. The former Congress leader, however, said the idea of building a new Parliament building was first mooted during the PV Narasimha Rao government, but was later shelved.
He said, ‘I have no objection to it.
Azad also stressed the need for restoration of “old India” based on the idea of communal harmony and brotherhood.
PM Modi is going to inaugurate the new four-storey Parliament House on 28 May.
The issue turned into a major controversy, with opposition parties arguing that “President Murmu (head of state) and PM Modi (head of government) should not inaugurate”.
Twenty opposition parties, including the Congress, have announced a boycott of the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Modi. On the other hand, 25 parties have said that they will participate in the inauguration and these include seven non-NDA parties.
BSP, Shiromani Akali Dal, Janata Dal (Secular), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), YSR Congress, BJD and TDP are the seven non-NDA parties. The presence of these seven parties with 50 MPs in the Lok Sabha will be a big relief for the BJP-led NDA. His participation will also help the NDA counter the opposition’s allegation that it is all a government programme.
Nineteen opposition parties, including the Congress, Left, TMC, Samajwadi Party (SP) and AAP jointly announced a boycott, saying they did not find value in a new building when “the soul of democracy has been sucked out”. Separately, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said that if Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla does not inaugurate the new parliament building, his party will not attend the event.