According to reports on Wednesday (May 24), the opposition parties have reportedly agreed to skip the opening ceremony of the newly constructed parliament building in the nation’s capital.

“The inauguration of the new Parliament building is an important occasion. Although we believed that the government threatened democracy and we did not accept the authoritarian system under which the new parliament was built, we were willing to drown our differences and mark the occasion. However, Prime Minister Modi’s decision to completely sideline President Murmu and inaugurate the new Parliament building himself is not only a grave insult but a direct attack on our democracy.

“Constitution of India, Article 79 states, “There shall be a Parliament for the Union, consisting of a President and two Houses to be known as the States and the House of the People respectively.” The President is not only the Head of State in India but also an integral part of the Parliament. He convenes, presides, and addresses. He has to give his assent to the law of Parliament. In short, Parliament cannot function without the President. But the Prime Minister has decided to inaugurate the new Parliament building without him.

This dishonorable act insults the high office of the President and violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution. The nation has its first It undermines the sense of inclusiveness that has seen a female Adivasi president celebrate”.

“The prime minister is no stranger to anti-democratic acts who have been emptying Parliament incessantly. Opposition Members of Parliament who have raised the issues of the people of India have been disqualified, suspended and silenced. Members of Parliament in the Treasury session have disrupted Parliament. Several controversial laws, including three agricultural laws, have been passed with almost no debate, and parliamentary committees have effectively become defunct. The new parliament building was built at great cost during the once-in-a-century pandemic without consulting the Indian people or the MPs.

“When the soul of democracy has been drained from Parliament, a new building is not worth it. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

We will continue to fight against this dictatorial Prime Minister and his government, in letter, spirit and substance, and take our message directly to the people of India.

On May 28, New Delhi’s newly constructed Parliament building is set to be inaugurated, but many opposition parties have decided not to go.

Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Left, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janata Dal United (JDU), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Samajwadi Party (SP) , and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction were among the parties that decided to boycott the inaugural event.