Global Courant 2023-05-24 22:16:02
NEW DELHI — Indian political opposition parties said on Wednesday they will boycott the inauguration ceremony for the new parliament building to be conducted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sidelining the country’s president.
In a joint statement, 19 national and regional opposition parties said Modi’s decision to inaugurate the building on Sunday without President Droupadi Murmu’s participation was not only a grave affront but also a direct attack on democracy.
The President of India is an appointed, non-partisan executive with ceremonial powers only, but is considered the country’s first citizen and is the highest constitutional authority.
“If the soul of democracy has been sucked out of parliament, we will find no value in a new building,” the letter said.
The building is the centerpiece of a US$2.4 billion (S$3.2 billion) project aimed at relocating some prominent institutions from heritage, British colonial buildings to larger, modern facilities.
The new parliament is part of the nationalist Modi’s flagship initiative to reshape the capital’s architecture and assert a modern identity.
Critics of the new parliament see its construction not only as Modi’s attempt to bolster Hindu nationalism and historical revisionism, but also as an opportunity to flout official protocol by sidelining the president.
A communications officer in Modi’s office said the prime minister has not shown any disrespect to the president and her executive.
A minister in Modi’s government said the new parliament is committed to the people of India and will serve as an institution of modern democratic values.
