19 Opposition parties to boycott new Parliament opening

New Delhi: Who should inaugurate India's new ‘Sansad’ building on May 28? This has sparked a new political debate. While the Union Government has announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate it, about 19 opposition parties said that they would boycott the function.

The Congress party which has been accusing Centre of not inviting the President Draupadi Murmu added a caste angle to the controversy. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, "It looks like the Modi Govt has ensured the election of President of India from the Dalit and the tribal communities only for electoral reasons.

He said former President Kovind was not invited to the New Parliament foundation laying ceremony… The President of India is not being invited to the inauguration of the new Parliament Building though she is the first citizen of India, he said.

A joint statement said: "When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from the Parliament, we find no value in a new building. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

"Parliament is not constructed by bricks of ego, but through constitutional values," Rahul Gandhi said.

The parties that signed this statement include the AA, DMK and Sharad Pawar's NCP. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has reached out to opposition leaders, including Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, in efforts to unite them before the 2024 general election, is also a signatory.

Also on the list are the CPI and CPI(M), the Shiv Sena faction led by former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party), RJD, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the IUML, Kerala Congress (Mani), VCK, RLD, NC, MDMK, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party will also boycott the ceremony.

The Biju Janata Dal has not signed this statement or announced a boycott so far.

The BRS is now in two minds. Though officially it has not announced its stand, some leaders say that they may join the 19 parties in the boycott. But then they feel that this could give chance to opposition on home turf to criticise the BRS government since they did not invite the Governor for inauguration of new Secretariat saying where is it written in the

Constitution.