‘Self-glorifying authoritarian PM Modi inaugurates the temple of Constitution’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, holding ‘Sengol’, arrives for the inauguration of the new Parliament building along with high priests and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, in New Delhi, on Sunday. Pic/PTI

The Congress on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying a "self-glorifying authoritarian PM with utter disdain for Parliamentary procedures" inaugurated the new Parliament building.

Modi inaugurated the complex at a grand event in the Lok Sabha chamber, which included a havan, a multi-faith prayer ceremony and the installation of the Sengol in the presence of high priests. Some 20 opposition parties boycotted the event, accusing the PM of "sidelining" President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

IN PHOTOS: PM Narendra Modi inaugurates new Parliament building in New Delhi

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"The new Parliament building will be a testament to the dawn of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. It will be a witness to our journey towards a Viksit Bharat (developed India)," Modi said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Parliament is the voice of the people but the PM is treating the inauguration of the new building like a "coronation".

‘Tokens for politics'

AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal tweeted, "At the foundation stone laying ceremony of the new Parliament building, the then President Ramnath Kovind was kept away from the ceremony. At its inauguration, President Droupadi Murmu has been sidelined."

"It is the upper caste, anti-backward mindset of the RSS because of which they are denied the respect that their high constitutional office deserves. Their deliberate exclusion shows PM Modi will use them as tokens for his electoral politics, but will not allow them to be part of such significant and historic occasions," he said.

CPI (M-L) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya tweeted, "Massive crackdown is going on in Delhi on women wrestlers and other citizens assembling for the Mahila Samman Panchayat even as the inauguration of the new parliament building resembles the coronation of a king. Brutal assault on democracy and the constitutional spirit and vision."

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