New Parliament building row: 'Black day' for Indian democracy, says Cong in Kerala

Image used for representational purpose. File photo.

The Opposition Congress in Kerala on Sunday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP after the inauguration of the new Parliament building and said it was a "black day" for Indian democracy.

The ruling CPI(M) also hit out at the Union government for creating a parallel history.

The Congress attacked the Centre for not inviting President Droupadi Murmu to the function and said it showed the "upper caste communal fascist stand of the RSS".

AICC general secretary (in-charge of organisation), K C Venugopal, told media at Kannur that the BJP was unable to give an explanation for not inviting the President and the Vice-President for the function. It's a "black day" for Indian democracy, he said.

"The BJP has been using our President Droupadi Murmu for PR purposes. It's unfortunate that the first citizen of India had to watch the inauguration of the new Parliament of the country through television.

"The upper caste communal fascist stand of the RSS resulted in ignoring former President Ram Nath Kovind from the foundation stone laying ceremony and Murmu from the inauguration of the new Parliament building," Venugopal said.

The senior Congress leader said Modi should understand that he was inaugurating a Parliament building and not a BJP party office. State Minister and CPI(M) leader, M B Rajesh, said the BJP tried to create a place in India's history by keeping a portrait of Savarkar in the Parliament, an accused in Mahatma Gandhi assassination case, but failed.

"They (BJP) tried to tweak the history to get a place in the legacy of the country. That too didn't work. Now they decided to create a parallel history (by inaugurating new Parliament building)," Rajesh said in a Facebook post.

Criticising the police action against the protesting wrestlers in New Delhi, the CPI(M) said the Modi government might have inaugurated a new Parliament building today. "But on the streets, its police showed what it really thinks of democracy," CPI(M) tweeted.

The CPI(M) said democracy was not on grand buildings or pompous speeches but respect of rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.

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