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The four-storey building, which has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 970 crore, has been designed by Ahmedabad-based HCP Design, Planning and Management, and constructed by Tata Projects Limited.
Security has been stepped up in Lutyens’ Delhi ahead of the inauguration ceremony today which will be attended by many eminent personalities. Police have already issued a traffic advisory that the New Delhi district will be treated as a controlled area for the period and entry of vehicles will be restricted.
The Parliament Building is located in a high-security area. Besides additional deployment, there is continuous monitoring through CCTV cameras, the police said.
While around 20 parties have announced a boycott of the ceremony, agitating wrestlers, who are demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly sexually harassing seven women grapplers, are threatening to hold a protest meeting before the new Parliament building today.
Schedule of the Inauguration Ceremony
On schedule, the first phase of the programme commenced at 7:30 am with a havan (a ritualistic fire ceremony) and puja (worship) near the Mahatma Gandhi statue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, among other dignitaries, were present during this ceremony.
Dressed in traditional attire, Modi walked into the Parliament premises from its Gate No. 1 and was welcomed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Amid Vedic chants by priests from Karnataka’s Shringeri Math, the prime minister performed “Ganapati Homam” to invoke Gods to bless the inauguration of the new Parliament building. The prime minister prostrated before the “Sengol” and sought blessings from high priests of various adheenams in Tamil Nadu with the holy sceptre in hand.
Modi then carried the “Sengol” in a procession amid tunes of “nadaswaram” and chanting of Vedic mantras to the new Parliament building and installed it in a special enclosure on the right side of the Speaker’s chair in the Lok Sabha chamber. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar and Jitendra Singh, chief ministers of several states and BJP president J P Nadda was present on the occasion.
The prime minister felicitated some workers who played key roles in the construction of the new Parliament building
The second phase of the program will begin around 12 noon with the national anthem, following which, two short films will be screened.
After that, the messages from the Vice President and the President will be read out by the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will also deliver a speech and a commemorative coin and stamp will be released during the event.
The program will conclude with an address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scheduled for approximately 2:30 pm.
The 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, which together account for 50 MPs in the Lok Sabha, will be a major relief for the BJP-led NDA. Their participation will also help the NDA blunt the Opposition’s charge that it is all a government event.
Nineteen Opposition parties, including the Congress, Left, TMC, Samajwadi Party (SP) and AAP, have jointly announced the boycott, saying they find no value in a new building when the “soul of democracy has been sucked out”. Separately, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said if Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla does not inaugurate the new Parliament building, his party would not attend the event.
Who Is Attending Who Is Not?
As many as 25 parties are expected to attend the inauguration of the new Parliament building today even as 20 opposition parties, including the Congress, have decided to boycott the event.
Among those attending are seven non-NDA parties including BSP, Shiromani Akali Dal, Janata Dal (Secular), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), YSR Congress, BJD and TDP, which together account for 50 MPs in the Lok Sabha. Their participation will also help the NDA blunt the Opposition’s charge that it is all a government event.
Nineteen Opposition parties, including the Congress, Left, TMC, Samajwadi Party (SP) and AAP, have jointly announced the boycott, saying they find no value in a new building when the “soul of democracy has been sucked out”. Separately, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said if Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla does not inaugurate the new Parliament building, his party would not attend the event.
The BRS is also unlikely to attend the inauguration of the new Parliament building. BRS sources said that the party may not attend the inauguration. However, the reason is not known. The party has remained silent on the issue.
Oppn Slammed for Boycotting Ceremony
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri hit out at the Congress and others who gave the boycott call, saying the “boycott gang” is insulting the legacy of their own leaders and the freedom fighters. In a series of tweets, Puri cited an old article of Time Magazine published in 1947 which he said was a must-read for those who wish they had built the magnificent new Parliament instead of Prime Minister Modi.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also described as “unfortunate” the boycott decision and said there should be a limit to doing politics. He said the inauguration of the new Parliament building should be celebrated as a festival by the entire nation.
The opposition parties contend that President Droupadi Murmu should do the honours as she is not only the Head of State, but also an integral part of Parliament as she summons, prorogues, and addresses the institution.
A group of 270 eminent citizens including former bureaucrats, ambassadors and veterans also condemned the opposition parties for their decision and claimed that all the “family-first” parties have come together to boycott all that represents India.