19 Opposition Parties to Boycott Inauguration of New Parliament Building

New Delhi: Nineteen opposition parties issued a joint statement on Wednesday declaring their decision to boycott the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament on May 28. This new Parliament building is to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Their joint declaration said “When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from Parliament, we find no value in a new building. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building.”

The joint statement was issued by the Indian National Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Aam Aadmi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Kerala Congress (Mani), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Trinamool Congress, Janata Dal (United), Nationalist Congress Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Indian Union Muslim League, National Conference, Revolutionary Socialist Party, and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

In the statement, the parties said the inauguration of a new Parliament building is a momentous occasion. “Despite our belief that the government is threatening democracy, and our disapproval of the autocratic manner in which the new Parliament was built, we were open to sinking our differences and marking this occasion. However, Prime Minister Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building himself, completely sidelining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response,” the parties said.

“The President is not only the Head of State in India, but also an integral part of Parliament. She summons, prorogues and addresses Parliament. She must assent for an Act of Parliament to take effect. In short, Parliament cannot function without the President. Yet, the Prime Minister has decided to inaugurate the new Parliament building without her. This undignified act insults the high office of the President, and violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution. It undermines the spirit of inclusion which saw the nation celebrate its first woman Adivasi president,” the statement read.

It added that “undemocratic acts are not new to the Prime Minister, who has relentlessly hollowed out Parliament”.

The parties said opposition Members of Parliament have been disqualified, suspended and muted when they raised the issues of the people of India.

“MPs from the treasury benches have disrupted Parliament. Many controversial legislations, including the three farm laws, have been passed with almost no debate, and Parliamentary Committees have been practically made defunct. The new Parliament building has been built at great expense during a once-in-a-century pandemic with no consultation with the people of India or MPs, for whom it is apparently being built,” they said.

Noting that the soul of democracy had been sucked out from Parliament, “So we find no value in a new 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,” the parties said.