New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi was partaking in the inauguration of the new Parliament building Sunday, controversy erupted over the new iconic structure with the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) equating its design to that of a coffin.
In a tweet that juxtaposed the image of the triangular-shaped new Parliament building with a coffin, the RJD put out a question, “What is this?”, from its official Twitter handle.
ये क्या है? pic.twitter.com/9NF9iSqh4L
— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) May 28, 2023
Drawing the comparison, RJD leader Shakti Singh Yadav told news agency ANI that the coffin was a representation of the ‘burial of democracy’ under the watch of the Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre. “The coffin in our tweet represents the burial of democracy. The country will not accept this. Parliament is the temple of democracy and it is the place to have discussions,” he said.
The temple of democracy (Parliament) is a space for debate, and they (BJP) are trying to show a different route to this space. I appeal to the Prime Minister not to bury democracy,” he said.
Yadav’s statements invited a backlash from the ruling BJP. Senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi demanded that a case of treason be registered against “such people” for drawing the said comparison.
#WATCH | A case of treason should be registered against such people who have compared the new Parliament building with a coffin: BJP leader Sushil Modi on RJD's tweet comparing the new Parliament building with a coffin pic.twitter.com/K9FYLMELxX
— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2023
“Regardless of the boycott from Opposition parties, has the RJD decided to permanently boycott Parliament? Will their MPs resign from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,” Sushil Modi asked.
BJP leader Dushyant Gautam termed the comparison unfortunate and asked whether the RJD was also comparing the old Parliament building design to “zero”.
The RJD is among the 20 Opposition parties that boycotted the inauguration of the new Parliament building Sunday, accusing the BJP of insulting President Droupadi Murmu by not inviting her for the inauguration.
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PM treating inauguration as ‘coronation’
Opposition leaders, meanwhile, continued to attack the government over the President’s and Vice President’s absence from the inauguration ceremony.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said he was “happy” to not attend the event and was left worried after witnessing its proceedings. “Are we taking the country backwards? Was this event for limited people only,” he told news agency ANI.
Congress’s Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet that while Parliament is the voice of Indians, the PM seems to be treating the inauguration of the new Parliament building like “a coronation”.
Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in charge of communications, also hit out at the Prime Minister in a tweet, referring to Modi as a “self-glorifying authoritarian Prime Minister” who “rarely attends Parliament or engages in it”.
“The President — the first Adivasi to become President — is not allowed to fulfil her Constitutional duties and inaugurate the New Parliament building in 2023,” he added.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O’Brien also took a jibe at the PM and said that despite a new building being inaugurated, four years have passed since the Lok Sabha had a deputy Speaker.
In a press statement, O’Brien also highlighted that Modi was yet to answer a single question in Parliament, while the number of ordinances promulgated by the central government has more than doubled compared with earlier.
“The number of Bills scrutinised by Parliamentary Committees has come down from 7 out of 10 Bills earlier, to just 1 out of 10 Bills now,” he added.
Speaking to news agency ANI, NCP MP Supriya Sule said that inaugurating the new building without the presence of the Opposition means that the event was “incomplete”.
“If there is something concerning the larger interests of the nation, then we are happy to work with the government. But, this time, they could have easily reached out to all Opposition leaders, we were only sent some invites on WhatsApp,” she said.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)