A plea was on Thursday filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Lok Sabha Secretariat to have the new Parliament building inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu. The bench will hear the matter on Friday.
The plea, filed by advocate CR Jaya Sukin, argues that by excluding the President from the inaugural ceremony, the government of India has “violated the Indian Constitution and shown a lack of respect for it.”
“The Parliament is the supreme legislative body of India. It consists of the President and the two Houses, the Council of States and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The President holds the power to summon and prorogue either House of Parliament or to dissolve the Lok Sabha,” states the plea.
“The President is an integral part of Parliament, so why was the President kept away from the foundation laying ceremony and is now not included in the inauguration? This demonstrates malpractice and deprivation by the respondents towards the people of the nation,” further states the plea.
‘Bricks of Ego’: Rahul Gandhi Attacks PM
Asserting that Parliament is not built by “bricks of ego” but through constitutional values, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said not letting President Droupadi Murmu inaugurate the new Parliament building as well as not inviting her to the ceremony is an “insult” to the country’s highest constitutional post.
Besides Gandhi, several Congress leaders also slammed the government over the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28.
In a tweet in Hindi, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said,”The ‘shehnai’ of ‘democracy’ should be played in Parliament, but ever since the self-proclaimed ‘Vishwaguru’ has arrived, the cannon of ‘autocracy’ is being fired.” “Not the building, change the intentions,” he added.
Earlier, 19 opposition parties, including the Congress, Left, AAP and TMC, announced their decision to boycott the inauguration, saying they find no value in a new building when the soul of democracy has been sucked out of Parliament.
In a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi said,”Neither getting the President to inaugurate the Parliament nor inviting her to the ceremony is an insult to the country’s highest constitutional post.” “Parliament is not built by bricks of ego, but through constitutional values,” Gandhi said.
‘Soul of Democracy Sucked Out’: Oppn Boycotts Parliament Event
As many as 19 opposition parties, including the Congress, Left, TMC, SP and AAP, came together and announced their decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying they find no value in a new building when the “soul of democracy has been sucked out”.
Modi will inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28 following an invitation by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
“When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from Parliament, we find no value in a new building. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building,” the parties said.
“We will continue to fight – in letter, in spirit, and in substance – against this ‘authoritarian’ prime minister and his government, and take our message directly to the people of India,” the opposition parties said.
Attacking Modi, the parties said, “Undemocratic acts are not new to the prime minister, who has relentlessly hollowed out Parliament. Opposition Members of Parliament have been disqualified, suspended and muted when they raised the issues of the people of India. MPs from the Treasury benches have disrupted Parliament.” “Many controversial legislations, including the three farm laws, have been passed with almost no debate, and Parliamentary Committees have been practically made defunct,” the parties said.
Also Read: ‘Blatant Affront to Democratic Ethos’: NDA Slams Oppn for Boycotting New Parliament Opening
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