Sharad Pawar-led NCP to skip inauguration of new Parliament building

Sharad Pawar. File Pic

The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will not attend the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28, a party spokesperson told news agency PTI on Wednesday.

The decision has been taken in sync with the other opposition parties, the spokesperson told PTI.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new building on Sunday.

On Tuesday, the TMC, the CPI and the AAP announced they will skip the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building on May 28.

Amid demands from the opposition that President Droupadi Murmu should inaugurate the new building, leaders of like-minded opposition parties have deliberated on the issue and a joint statement by the floor leaders on a united boycott of the event may be issued soon, sources earlier told PTI.

Also Read: Not inviting President to inaugurate new Parliament building is an 'insult' to her and tribal communities: AAP

TMC's leader in Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien in a Twitter post on Tuesday said, "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."

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

Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh tweeted, "Not inviting President Droupadi Murmu to the inauguration of the new Parliament building is a great insult to her. This is also an insult to the tribals. The Aam Aadmi party will boycott the inauguration function in protest of Modi ji not inviting the President."

The CPI-M also accused Modi of "bypassing" the President for not just laying the foundation stone for the new parliament building but also by inaugurating it himself.

Opposition parties had boycotted the foundation laying ceremony in December 2020, and they are likely to skip the inauguration ceremony as well on Sunday.

The new Parliament building can seat upto 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 300 in the Rajya Sabha chamber.

(With inputs from PTI)