NEW DELHI: On Wednesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi called the decision by 19 opposition parties to skip the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Parliament building "unfortunate" and encouraged them to change their minds. The new Parliament building will be officially opened on Sunday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Boycotting and making an issue out of a non-issue is most unfortunate. I appeal to them to reconsider their decision and join the function," Joshi told reporters.
The Lok Sabha Speaker, according to Joshi, is the guardian of Parliament and has invited the prime minister to officially open the structure.
The president, Droupadi Murmu, is regarded by the opposition parties as deserving of the accolade because, in addition to serving as the head of state, she also convenes, prorogues, and addresses Parliament.
These parties oppose the new Parliament building's inauguration, which is scheduled for May 28. They stated,"When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from the Parliament, we find no value in a new building. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building. 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."
In a joint statement, they said that while they disagreed with the "autocratic manner" in which the new Parliament was constructed and that they believed the government was endangering democracy, they were willing to put aside their differences in order to celebrate the inauguration of the Parliament building.
"However, Prime Minister Modi's decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response," said the opposition parties.
The 19 parties participating in the boycott are the Congress, DMK, Aam Aadmi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party, TMC, Janata Dal (United), Nationalist Congress Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), RJD, Indian Union Muslim League, National Conference, Communist Party of India, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Kerala Congress (Mani), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Revolutionary Socialist Party, and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
It is unclear how this boycott will affect the tone of the inauguration and how the new Parliament building will operate afterward. The occasion, which was originally meant to be a historic occasion to celebrate a turning point in India's democratic system, is now mired in political controversy, underscoring the stark disparities in the nation's political structure.
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