HomeSocio Legal ColumnUnsavoury Controversy over the Inauguration of the New Parliament Building of India

Unsavoury Controversy over the Inauguration of the New Parliament Building of India

Opposition boycott of the inauguration of the New Parliament Building on May 28, 2023 is highly illogical and inappropriate: Bir Devinder Singh

It sounds highly preposterous that Indian Parliamentarians, belonging to different political Parties are fighting over petty issues, exhibiting narrowness of their political vision in utter disregard of the dignity of the Nation. The boycott call given by twenty opposition parties, to boycott the inaugural function of the New Building of the Parliament by the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi on May 28, 2023, is highly illogical and inappropriate; not in conformity with the spirit of India’s Parliamentary Democracy, enshrined in the Constitution of India.

Though I am not great fan of Mr. Narendra Modi nor I subscribe to the doctrine of ‘Majoritarian consolidation’ being pursued by the ruling party, B.J.P., as its core agenda. But my view point is only limited to ‘distasteful controversy’ emanating out of the irrational decision of twenty opposition political parties, deciding  to boycott the inaugural function of the New Building of the Parliament, if  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the new building on May 28, 2023.

In Parliamentary Democracy, India is Governed through the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister and as per the Constitution of India The President of India as constitutional Head of the State,  acts only on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers in other words, ‘The Cabinet’. Therefore the Prime Minister is the democratic head of the State and it’s the Parliament of India that vest these powers, with the Prime Minister who is also the elected Leader of the House, through a constitutionally defined mechanism of parliamentary procedures.

As such, logically speaking there should be no objection at all, to the Prime Minister of India, inaugurating the building of India’s New Parliament, because India is practicing Parliamentary system of Government, not the Presidential form of Government, where President is supreme for all practical purposes.

As a reference I would like to mention here that the old parliament house was inaugurated on January 18, 1927 by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker as seat of the Imperial Legislative Council. Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker were both English architects credited to have designed the old parliament building besides the City of New Delhi.  Its pertinent to mention here that after the completion old parliament building both the architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker requested the then Viceroy of India Lord Irvin to inaugurate the Parliament building, but the Viceroy was so much impressed to see the art work and architectural magnificence of the building of the Imperial Legislative Council  (Our old Parliament House), he in his wisdom rather honoured both, Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker the  architects,  and  requested them to inaugurate the Building which they both did in January 1927. Following the end of the British rule in India, the building constructed for the Imperial Legislative Council, was taken over by the Constituent Assembly. It is within those same halls that our Hon’ble revered Constitution of India was drafted, discussed and signed by the Hon’ble members of the Constituent Assembly of India.

It’s depressing that after 75 years of India’s freedom and mature Parliamentary Democracy whereby India is emerging as the largest democracy of the world, unfortunately the majority of the Indian politician and parliamentarians lack sagacity, wisdom and statesmanship and they are busy fighting petty issues. As a matter of fact, there seems to be no logic, in the negatively regressive decision of ‘Twenty opposition parties, deciding to boycott’ of the historical occasion of exalted eminence in the Parliamentary History of India, the Inauguration of the Temple of Parliamentary Democracy; India’s own New Parliament Building. Let the opposition parties revisit their decision and see reason in the larger interest of the Dignity of the Nation and become part of the magnificent event in the annals of Parliamentary democracy of India.

The opposition parties are free to oppose the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and his policies to the hilt from the opposition benches, meant for this purpose in the New Parliament building, but please show some degree of grace and magnanimity and don’t spoil the solemnity and dignity of the ‘historic occasion’ in the interest of the Nation and let this monumental inappropriateness not get registered, in the name of twenty Indian opposition parties, absurdly opposing the ceremonial inauguration of the new Parliament building.

Bir Devinder Singh
Bir Devinder Singh
Bir Devinder Singh is an Indian Politician from the state of Punjab. He was the Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly between 2003 and 2004. He was declared the best Parliamentarian for the Legislative Assembly term from 2002 to 2007. Bir Devinder Singh is a name synonymous with truth and honesty in the political scenario of Punjab.
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