Congress and others to boycott new Parliament building inauguration on May 28

In December 2020, PM had laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building which will have modern facilities

Nineteen Opposition parties, including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Nationalist Congress Party and others on Wednesday (May 24) decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (May 28).

Raising the objection, the opposition said the President and not the Prime Minister should inaugurate the new Parliament building.

“Prime Minister Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President (Droupadi) Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response,” the opposite parties said in a joint statement, explaining reasons for the boycott.

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“When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from the Parliament, we find no value in a new building. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building. We will continue to fight — in letter, in spirit, and in substance — against this authoritarian Prime Minister and his government, and take our message directly to the people of India,” the statement mentioned.

The signatories to the joint statement are: Indian National Congress, Trinamool Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Janata Dal (United), Aam Aadmi Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Communist Party of India, Indian Union Muslim League, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, National Conference, Kerala Congress (Mani), Revolutionary Socialist Party, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Rashtriya Lok Dal.

Earlier, the like-minded opposition parties flayed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government for selecting ‘Veer Savarkar Jayanti', as the inauguration date.

In December 2020, PM Modi had laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building which will have modern facilities.

The opposition parties had boycotted the ceremony to lay the foundation stone by PM Modi, raising concerns about its timing amid the coronavirus pandemic, farmer protests, and the economic distress due to a lockdown.