Indira inaugurated Parliament Annexe, Rajiv laid foundation of Parliament Library, says Puri

Reacting to tweets by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday, Puri said in a series of tweets that the Congress had gone from criticising the project and questioning its necessity to now “shifting the goalpost” by questioning PM Modi’s inauguration of the new building. He said the Congress lacked “national spirit and sense of pride in India’s progress”.

“Why can’t they just join the nation in celebrating this creation of a valuable asset for posterity, as the New India’s temple of the mother of all democracies & jettison the prolonged sulk & indulgence in partisan polemics based on falsehoods,” he tweeted.

From criticising the New Parliament Building & questioning its very necessity despite many of them advocating for it before but not executing it, Congress President & other worthies are now shifting the goalpost by generously misquoting an article a day from the Constitution! pic.twitter.com/GUwexamcZy

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 23, 2023

Citing Tharoor’s tweet that quoted Article 60 (oath of President before assuming office) and Article 111 (assent by President to Bills passed by Parliament) to say that the President was the head of Parliament, Puri said: “So, instead of now finding articles to justify their hypocrisy why can’t they just smile & join India on this momentous achievement & her march to greatness!”.

The new Parliament, which has been constructed adjacent to the existing Parliament House, is a part of the government’s Central Vista redevelopment project. After the opening of the redeveloped Kartavya Path, earlier known as Rajpath, the new Parliament will be the second of the Central Vista projects to be inaugurated.