- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates new $2 billion Parliament building
- Opposition lawmakers decided to boycott the ceremony in protest of the move
- Outside of the building, protesters demonstrated against the prime minister's latest overreach
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the opening of the country's new Parliament building, a project that cost $2 billion, despite opposition skipping the ceremony and criticizing the act.
The ceremony was seen as a move that reflected the prime minister's usual penchant for Hindu religious and nationalist symbolism. While opposition lawmakers boycotted the inauguration, police outside the building fought off a demonstration.
Indian Parliament Building Inauguration
Many opposition lawmakers from both chambers, roughly 250 individuals, chose to stay away in protest of the latest example of Modi's overreach. They argue that the situation has undermined the country's Constitutional democracy.
Roughly 20 opposition parties rebuked Modi in a rare statement of unity on a role they argued was reserved for the country's president, Droupadi Murmu. He holds the symbolic but crucial role as the custodian of the Constitution, as per the New York Times.
In the statement, the parties said that Droupadi is not only the head of state in India but is also considered an integral part of the Parliament. They added that she summons, prorogues, and addresses the Parliament. The parties claim that when the soul of democracy has been removed from the Parliament, there is no value in a new building.
However, the prime minister's Bharatiya Janata Party has rebelled against the opposition's claims. It pointed out that the previous prime ministers had also inaugurated additions and annexes in the old Parliament building.
On the other hand, opposition parties have argued that the Indian prime minister's choice to presider over the inauguration has been consistent with his party's more general breach of the parliamentary process. This includes pushing through, with scant debate, contentious bills that have radically changed the fundamentals of the country's union.
Opposing Narendra Modi's Decision
During the inauguration ceremony, Modi called the new Parliament building a "cradle of empowerment." On Sunday, he offered prayers as Hindu priests chanted religious hymns, according to Aljazeera.
After the inauguration, Modi made an address where he said that the new Parliament is not just a building but a symbol of the aspiration of the roughly 1.4 billion people in the country. He added that the newly revamped complex would be evidence of a self-reliant India.
In a statement, Mridula Mukherjee, a historian, said that the old Parliament building was more Indian than Modi's revamped version. He added that the colonial-era buildings that Modi's party was referring to incorporated many elements of Indian architecture.
The leader of the main opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, said in a Twitter post that Indian Prime Minister Modi was seemingly treating the Parliament inauguration as a coronation ceremony. Nineteen parties, including the Congress, announced last week their "collective decision" to boycott the ceremony, said BBC.
