Oppn may boycott new Parl inauguration

NEW DELHI: Amid demands from the Opposition that President Droupadi Murmu and not Prime Minister Narendra Modi should inaugurate the new Parliament building, the leaders of several political parties have decided to boycott the ceremony on May 28.

While the TMC and the CPI said they would skip the inauguration, sources said a joint statement by the floor leaders of all opposition parties announcing a united boycott would be issued soon.

The final decision would be taken on Wednesday after the parties receive the formal invitation, sources added.

“Parliament is not just a new building; it is an establishment with old traditions, values, precedents and rules -- it is the foundation of Indian democracy. Prime Minister Modi doesn’t get that. For him, Sunday’s inauguration of the new building is all about I, ME, MYSELF. So count us out (sic),” TMC’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien said on social media.

CPI general secretary D Raja also said his party would not attend the ceremony.

“Whether we will boycott or attend, we will take a decision at the right time,” Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said.

The opposition parties had boycotted the ceremony when Modi laid the foundation stone of the building in December 2020, citing concerns about its timing amid farmer protests, the COVID pandemic and the economic distress due to a lockdown.