New Parliament building inauguration: Modi felicitates workers involved in construction
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly felicitated all the workers involved in the development and construction work of the new Parliament building on Sunday. Ahead of the official inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building, the prime minister was seen in a video shared by ANI handing over mementos to the construction workers and felicitating them with traditional shawls, too.
Context
Why does this story matter?
PM Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building on Sunday in a grand ceremony to mark a milestone shift to a new complex in New Delhi. Notably, numerous opposition parties argued that the president should inaugurate the new Parliament complex as the highest constitutional authority. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) maintained that the president isn't a member of either House.
Details
What workers who constructed new Parliament said
Speaking about the hard work that went into the construction of the new Parliament, a construction worker named Ram Murti told The Indian Express that he was delighted to be part of history. "The work was grueling, but if people ask us what we did, we can say we built the Parliament building, that too in two years," he said.
Twitter Post
Video of PM Modi handing over mementos to workers
#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi felicitates the workers who helped in the building and development of the new Parliament House. pic.twitter.com/r6TkOQp4PX
— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2023
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PM Modi installs sacred 'Sengol'
Earlier on Sunday morning, the prime minister walked into the Parliament premises dressed in traditional attire from Gate Number 1 and was welcomed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for the inauguration of the new building. Modi then prostrated before the "Sengol" and sought blessings from priests of various Adheenams while holding the scepter and later installed it near the LS speaker's chair.
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Parties that are attending and skipping today's inauguration
While 19 opposition parties boycotted the inauguration ceremony, many others like Bahujan Samaj Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Janata Dal (Secular), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Biju Janata Dal, YSR Congress Party, and Telugu Desam Party confirmed they would attend the event. These seven non-National Democratic Alliance parties have nearly 50 MPs in the Lok Sabha and will help the BJP-led central government save face.
Further information
Details on India's new Parliament building
The four-story triangular-shaped building has 64,500 square meters of built-up area with three main gates: Shakti Dwar, Karma Dwar, and Gyan Dwar. It also has separate entries for visitors, VIPs, and MPs and can accommodate 888 members in the Lok Sabha and 300 in the Rajya Sabha chamber. During a joint sitting, 1,280 MPs can also be seated in the Lok Sabha chamber.