National emblem installation should not be linked to religious ceremony: CPI(M)

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The CPI(M) hit out at the BJP-led Centre on Monday over a religious ceremony performed at an event to unveil the cast of the national emblem on the new Parliament building premises, saying such installations should not be linked to religion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the national emblem cast on the roof of the new Parliament building on Monday. Officials said the emblem has been cast at the top of the central foyer of the new Parliament building and a supporting structure of steel, weighing around 6,500 kg, has been constructed to support it.

Modi was joined by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh and Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri at the inauguration. The prime minister also attended a religious ceremony at the site.

”National Emblem installation should not be linked to religious ceremonies. It is everyone’s emblem not those who have some religious beliefs. Keep religion separate from national functions,” the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a tweet.