Opinion JD(U)’s KC Tyagi writes: Only the President of India must inaugurate new Parliament

KC Tyagi writes: This is also the moment to ask again: India already has a magnificent parliament building. Why spend people's hard-earned money and resources on a new one?

KC Tyagi writes: It is sad that the BJP, which claims to be the largest national party, instead of focusing on the core problems of the country, sees India's progress only in terms of unnecessary expenses. (Twitter/@PMOIndia)

KC Tyagi

New DelhiMay 25, 2023 10:34 AM IST First published on: May 25, 2023 at 10:00 AM IST

On May 28, the country is going to get a new Parliament building. It will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, instead of the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. Equipped with modern amenities, it is a four-storey building, which cost about Rs 1,000 crore. In any democratic system, the parliament is the voice of the common man and the building that shelters it carries its own legacy and historical significance. India already has a magnificent parliament building. Why spend people’s hard-earned money and resources on the new one then?

Parliament House was constructed by the British over six years (1921-1927) to make Delhi the new administrative capital. Post Independence, this building became India’s Parliament House. It is an excellent example of architecture. It is counted amongst the best legislative buildings in the world. Even though it was designed by foreign architects, the building was constructed with Indian materials and by Indian labour. That’s why its architecture has a deep impression of Indian traditions. The dome of its central hall is believed to be one of the most spectacular in the world.

The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of India (1946-49) was held in this building. In 1947, the historic transfer of power from the British Empire to independent India was also done in this room. This is the same building where revolutionaries Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt wanted to convey their voice to the British government by throwing bombs; the place where the Indian Constitution got its present form. This is the same building where our first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, gave his ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech on the eve of the country’s independence. These memories cannot be erased just by replacing an old building with a new one.

K C Tyagi interview | | K C Tyagi interview: ‘Oppn can fight BJP one-on-one in 475 LS seats… KCR & Jagan are work in progress’

So why did the government have to spend billions of rupees to build a new Parliament building? The reason given is that the old building was constructed 96 years before the new one. But this is not unique to India. The British Parliament House is thousands of years old. Germany, Hungary, the US and other developed countries constructed their Parliament buildings centuries before India and have maintained their grandeur. Only the government can answer the following question: Why are we replacing a building that stands as a symbol of our victory in the struggle against foreign invaders and marks the end of the British Raj in India?

From the archives | New Delhi architecture was meant to soften nationalism, Parliament House was always meant only for Indians

Now, a new controversy has arisen. All opposition parties, including the Congress, are protesting the fact that PM Modi will be inaugurating the newly-constructed building. According to the Opposition, this is against parliamentary tradition. Only the President of India is authorised to inaugurate the Parliament building. Union Minister Hardeep Puri defended the government by saying that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had also laid the foundation of the Parliament Annexe and Rajiv Gandhi, the Parliament Library. This is a childish argument.

On October 24, 1975, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi inaugurated the Parliament Annexe and on August 15, 1987, Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation of the Parliament Library. But these were a part of the old Parliament House, not a completely new building. It is sad that the BJP, which claims to be the largest national party, instead of focusing on the core problems of the country, sees India’s progress only in terms of unnecessary expenses. We are lagging on many development indices as compared to our peer countries. Yet, we are busy constructing unnecessary buildings at people’s expense and glorifying the same. This is an alarming situation for the world’s most populous country and biggest democracy.

Tyagi is a former Rajya Sabha MP