Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, 10 December laid the foundation stone for a new Parliament building at Central Vista in Delhi. This building, which will cost nearly Rs 1,000 crore, is the centrepiece of the Rs 20,000-crore Central Vista plan, and has been vehemently criticised by Congress.
The Central Vista Plan has been challenged in the Supreme Court, which reprimanded the Union government last week for "pushing ahead aggressively" with the project even before a decision was taken on the petition, reported NDTV.
The event was also attended by Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi and Hardeep S Puri.
Calling it a historic day, PM Modi said that the new Parliament building will realise the needs of a 21st century-India.
The PM also called it a ‘historic moment’ and said the old parliamentary building needs to be put to rest.
Opposition Leaders Slam Move
While BJP leaders and ministers congratulated PM Modi, Congress called the move ‘desperation’ and ‘insecurity’.
The huge expense is coming at a time when lakhs of farmers around the country are protesting the three contentious farmer laws, and with an economic downturn and the coronavirus pandemic gripping the nation, this decision by the Union government has received much flak from the Opposition parties.
The Congress Party, from its official handle, tweeted that the ‘desperate desire to build bigger and scream louder comes from a deep-seated insecurity.’
Congress leader P Chidambaram tweeted that the foundation for a new Parliament was laid on the ‘ruins of a liberal democracy’.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted in Hindi on 10 December, vehemently opposing the saffron party’s move. "Mr. Modi, History will also record that when the Annadata was fighting for their rights for 16 days on the streets, you were building a palace for yourself in the name of Central Vista! In democracy, power is not a means to fulfill whims, it is a medium for public service and public welfare,"
In another tweet, referring to the Constitution, democracy, equality for all Indians, he said, “what would a building built upon trampling of these values represent?”
“Three parts of Parliament - President, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Why is only the prime minister part of bhoomipujan? Is there any symbolic importance of keeping the President and Vice President away from it? Will the Parliament of self-reliant India depend only on Modi ji? Is there any preparation to put a Constitution in the bag of fakirs?” he further tweeted.
BJP Leaders Extend Support to PM’s Move
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the foundation-laying of the new Parliament is a “defining moment in the history of Parliamentary democracy of India.”
BJP president JP Nadda who is currently in West Bengal holding rallies for the upcoming elections, said that the new Parliament will give necessary upgrades and facilities to the institution and enhance the productivity of Parliament.
Union minister Smriti Irani said that the new Parliament will be a symbol of India’s ‘diverse culture and ancient heritage’.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took to Twitter to say that the new Parliament building will reflect the ‘vibrancy and diversity of modern India’.
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