New Parliament Building Inauguration On Veer Savarkar Jayanti: Opposition Parties Mull Boycott Of The Event

Congress and several other opposition parties are reportedly mulling whether to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month.

The new Parliament building is set to be inaugurated by PM Modi on 28 May, the birth anniversary of Veer Savarkar.

The foundation stone of the building was also laid by PM Modi in December 2020.

At that time, Congress and other opposition parties stayed away from the foundation laying ceremony, citing concerns about its timing amid farmer protests, the pandemic and economic distress due to the lockdown.

Opposition parties are reportedly voicing their criticism over PM Modi inaugurating the building, arguing that President Droupadi Murmu should have been invited for opening the new Parliament.

The opposition parties may decide to take a collective stand on whether to attend or boycott the event, Indian Express reported citing Congress sources.

In light of the upcoming inauguration of the new Parliament building on Savarkar's birth anniversary, the Congress has found itself in a complex situation.

While the party has been toughening its stance, it has also been attempting to strike a more nuanced approach.

This is because Savarkar remains a politically sensitive figure for the Congress, especially since their Maharashtra ally, the Shiv Sena, has stated that they will not tolerate any attacks on him.

Even the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, had earlier advised the Congress to avoid criticising Savarkar.

Congress communications head Jairam Ramesh had last week criticised the inauguration of the new Parliament building on 28 May as a complete insult to the founding fathers and mothers of the nation, a rejection of Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Bose, and others, and a "blatant repudiation" of Dr Ambedkar.

“A complete insult to all our Founding Fathers and Mothers. A total rejection of Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Bose, et al. A blatant repudiation of Dr Ambedkar," Ramesh tweeted.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also sided with other leaders on Sunday, favouring the inauguration of the new building by President Murmu rather than the Prime Minister.