New Parliament building inauguration updates | The building reflects aspirations of new India, every Indian is full of pride today: PM Modi

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After his party boycotted the inauguration of the new Parliament building, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said democracy is not just about buildings but functions with the voice of people.

He also attacked the government over the “forcible” removal and “manhandling” of wrestlers protesting at the Jantar Mantar when they were trying to march towards Parliament.

“The right to inaugurate the new Parliament was snatched from the President. Women players were beaten up on the streets with dictatorial force,” he alleged in a tweet in Hindi.

“The three lies of BJP-RSS rulers now stand exposed before the country - Democracy, Nationalism and Save Daughter.”

“Remember Modi ji, democracy is not just about buildings but functions with the voice of the public,” Mr. Kharge said.- PTI

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday congratulated the Centre for the inauguration of the new Parliament building and said it should be used in the interest of the country.

“Congratulations to the Centre on the inauguration of the new Parliament House today. It would be appropriate that this new building should be used in the interest of the country and its people as per the humanitarian thoughts of Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and the noble intention of the holy Constitution made by him,” she said in a Tweet in Hindi.

The former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, who had received an invitation for the inauguration ceremony, could not make it to the occasion, citing other commitments.

Earlier on May 25, Ms. Mayawati had called the opposition parties’ boycott of the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi “unfair” and welcomed the opening.- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inauguration of the new Parliament on May 28 without the President or Vice-President came under flak from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar, who said that he was “satisfied” he did not attend the event, even while expressing concern about the regressive nature of the ceremony.

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Amid the raging Sengol row, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on May 28 said the positions taken by the government and the Opposition on the issue are reconcilable, as he called for embracing this symbol from the past to affirm the values of our present.

The Congress has claimed there was no documentary evidence of Lord Mountbatten, C Rajagopalachari and Jawaharlal Nehru describing the Sengol as a symbol of transfer of power from the British to India.

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Reflecting the cultural diversity of India, Tripura’s epitome bamboo wood flooring embellished the new Parliament building inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28.

Apart from that, carpets from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and stone carvings from Rajasthan have also been used. Further, red granite from Lakha near Ajmer and white marble from Ambaji of Rajasthan have also been used in the flooring. Epitome bamboo wood flooring was supplied by Mutha Industries of Bodhjungnagar, Tripura.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on May 28 said Parliament is the voice of the people but the Prime Minister is treating the inauguration of the new Parliament building like “coronation”.

“Parliament is the voice of the people! The Prime Minister is treating the inauguration of the Parliament House as coronation,” Mr. Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28 released a special commemorative postage stamp and a ₹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.

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Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on May 28 took a dig at the BJP over the party describing the Sengol as a symbol of transfer of power from the British, saying that in India the transfer of power is through the will of the people who gave themselves this Constitution.

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PM Modi concludes his address by once again congratulating Indians on the inauguration of the new Parliament building

The first condition of success is the belief of being successful. This new Parliament House is going to give a new height to this faith. This will become a new inspiration for all of us in building a developed India, PM Modi says.

This Parliament House will awaken the sense of duty of every Indian, he adds.

25 years from now, India will complete 100 years of its independence. Together we have to make India a developed nation in these 25 years, the Prime Minister says.

Today every Indian is full of pride seeing the new Parliament House, Mr. Modi says.

“This building has heritage as well as architecture. There is art as well as skill in this. There is culture in it as well as the voice of the constitution,” he adds.

The new India of the 21st century, India full of high spirit, is now leaving behind the mentality of slavery. And this new Parliament building has become a living symbol of this effort, Mr. Modi says.

This Amrit Kaal of freedom is the Amrit Kaal to give a new direction to the country. This Amrit Kaal of freedom is the Amrit Kaal to fulfill infinite dreams and innumerable aspirations, the Prime Minister says.

Our democracy is our inspiration, our constitution is our resolve. The best representative of this inspiration, this resolution, is our Parliament, PM Modi says.

India is not only a democratic country but also the mother of democracy, Mr. Modi says to the various dignitaries gathered at the inauguration of the new Parliament

This new building will become a means of realizing the dreams of our freedom fighters. This new building will witness the sunrise of self-reliant India. This new building will see the fulfilment of the resolutions of a developed India.

Earlier today, the holy Sengol was also established in this new building of the Parliament. In the Great Chola Empire, Sengol was considered a symbol of the path of duty, the path of service, the path of the nation, the Prime Minister says in his address.

In this Amrit Mahotsav, the people of India have gifted this new building of Parliament to their democracy. This morning itself, in the Parliament House complex, an all-faith prayer took place. I congratulate all the countrymen for this golden moment of Indian democracy, PM Modi says.

Speaking on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Parliament, PM Modi says “This new Parliament is not just a bhavan, it is a reflection of the aspirations of 140 crore Indians”.

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In his address on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Parliament, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla thanks PM Modi for ensuring the completion of the new Parliament in a speedy manner.

In this Parliament Indians will be able to see glimpses of their States’ culture. This is why I request Parliamentarians, when we enter this new Parliament, we should enter it with a fresh mindset, he says.

Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha reads out President Droupadi Murmu’s congratulatory message on the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

This Parliament, illuminated by the collective hopes and aspirations of our citizens, provides our nation with the energy to march towards a bright future, he says.

Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha reads out Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s message on the inauguration of the new Parliament building. This new Parliament, is a symbol of our country’s resolve to break free from the shackles of slave mentality, Deputy Chairman Harivansh Singh says.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen in the new Parliament building where he will take part in the second part of the inauguration ceremony. Earlier in the morning, the Prime Minister had inaugurated the new Parliament by installing the ‘Sengol’ near Lok Sabha Speaker’s chair.

​Sengol has drawn the attention of the nation after the BJP government​ led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to keep in the ​new Parliament building the sceptre presented by the Thiruvavaduthurai Math​ to the country’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, on the eve of India’s Independence.

Sceptre, a decorated rod made of gold and studded with precious stones, is held by kings and queens as a symbol of authority and power on ceremonial occasions, particularly in Western countries. Recently, during the coronation of King Charles III of the U.K., the Archbishop of Canterbury placed a golden sceptre in his hand.

In Tamil tradition, it represented the idea of righteousness rather than an object.

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The Nationalist Congress party (NCP) on Sunday said it was saddening that the new Parliament building was not inaugurated by India’s President Droupadi Murmu.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) claimed the inauguration of the new Parliament building by ignoring President Murmu was not in accordance with tradition and protocol.

NCP’s national spokesperson Clyde Crasto in a tweet said, ‘‘We are a Democracy, not a Monarchy. People of the country must yield Power...It is saddening to see that our president, the constitutional head of our country, is not inaugurating the New Parliament building.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut in his weekly column Rokhthok in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ claimed the inauguration of the new Parliament building by ignoring President Murmu was not in accordance with tradition and protocol.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the inauguration of the new Parliament building in Delhi was the greatest tribute to Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar and all Maharashtrians.

Mr. Shinde also said the political parties which boycotted the event have shown “deep disrespect” to India’s democracy and Savarkar, whose 140th birth anniversary is being observed on Sunday.

Mr. Shinde in a tweet said, “Political parties not participating in the inauguration today have shown deep disrespect towards India’s democracy and Savarkar ji. Today’s democracy has crossed the Lakshman Rekha laid by political dynasties.” “Those who don’t take pride in our culture heritage, those who despise thinkers like Veer Savarkar have preferred to boycott a national celebration,” he added.

“140 years later, on the same day, a free and confident India witnesses dedication of a new Parliament building. This is the greatest tribute to Savarkar ji and honour to all Maharashtrians!” he tweeted.- PTI

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi also said the Parliament is a temple of democracy, people will give them a befitting reply for the way they (RJD) are using expletives for the new Parliament.

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PTI

In view of protesting wrestlers’ call for women Maha Panchayat in front of the new Parliament building in the national capital, the members of the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee were stopped at Ambala border by police on Sunday.

The Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee members had come out from Amritsar on Saturday to participate in women wrestlers’ Maha Panchayat in front of the new Parliament.

ANI

The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Sunday allegedly equated the structure of the new Parliament building with that of a coffin. Taking to Twitter, the RJD shared a photo of a coffin and asked ‘Yeh kya hai [What is this?]’ in Hindi. The reaction has elicited sharp reactions from BJP.

“A case of treason should be registered against such people who have compared the new Parliament building with a coffin, said BJP leader Sushil Modi said.

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ANI

Several Opposition parties boycotted the inauguration of new Parliament building.

PTI

ANI

Jasbeer Kaur took part in the multi-faith prayers at the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building Sunday morning. Dressed in a traditional attire, Mr. Modi walked into the Parliament premises from its Gate No. 1 and was welcomed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

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The Congress on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he inaugurated the new Parliament building, saying that a “self-glorifying authoritarian PM with utter disdain for parliamentary procedures” has opened the new complex.

Attacking the PM, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “On this day, May 28th: Nehru, the person who did the most to nurture Parliamentary democracy in India, was cremated in 1964. Savarkar, the person whose ideological ecosystem led to the killing of Mahatma Gandhi, was born in 1883.” Mr. Ramesh also said that on this day President Droupadi Murmu — the first Adivasi to become President — is not allowed to fulfil her constitutional duties and inaugurate the new Parliament building.

PTI

We have deployed male and female companies at Delhi-Haryana border points to ensure unsocial elements are stopped from entering Delhi. Sonipat East Zone Police has not detained anyone so far. We will not allow people to enter Delhi if their motive is to disrupt the inauguration of the new Parliament House, our intelligence team is identifying such people: Gaurav Rajpurohit, DCP, Sonipat East to ANI

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said all entry and exit gates of Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan metro stations have been closed for passenger movement. Interchange facilities are available at Central Secretariat, it said.

PTI

ANI

Ahead of the inauguration of the new Parliament building, PM Modi felicitated the construction workers with traditional shawls and handed over mementoes.

ANI

The ceremony will begin with a puja which will continue for about an hour. After the puja, the PM will receive the ‘Sengol’ and install it in the new Parliament.

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Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on May 26 claimed there is no documented evidence of Lord Mountbatten, C. Rajagopalachari and Jawaharlal Nehru describing the ‘Sengol’ as a symbol of transfer of power by the British to India.

He also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his drum-beaters are using the ceremonial sceptre for their political ends in Tamil Nadu.

Read The Hindu’s report on evidence on government’s claims about the sceptre here

The new triangular Parliament House, built to fit the three-sided plot of land on which it stands, faces the old circular structure, both dressed in red sandstone for continuity. Their interiors though, are a study in contrast. Noida-based sculptor Ram Sutar’s 16-foot-high bronze Mahatma Gandhi sits in between, the silent arbitrator between the past and the present.

In place of the ‘disappearing dome’ over the central hall, visible to visitors only once they step in, the new building is flat-roofed and fitted with a golden spire, much like those in temples and gurdwaras.

In a scathing attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the ‘Sengol’ which was a symbol of the transfer of power from the British in 1947 should have gotten due respect after Independence but it was kept on display as a “walking stick” at Anand Bhawan in Prayagraj.

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The historic golden ‘sengol’ or sceptre that had been handed over to the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the eve of Independence Day will be placed within the new Parliament premises, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will install the ‘Sengol’, a historical sceptre from Tamil Nadu, in the new Parliament building, scheduled to be inaugurated by the PM, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday.

The ‘Sengol’ was received by Independent India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to symbolically represent the transfer of power from the British and was later kept in a museum in Allahabad.Read the full story here

PTI

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