Amid raging controversy over the inauguration of the new Parliament building, the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad exposed the duplicity of Congress on this issue.
In a veiled attack to attack Congress for unnecessarily raking up the controversy, Azad said that the construction of a new Parliament building was necessary. He said that it is good that it has been constructed but the idea was mooted when PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister.
He recalled the conversation related to the need for a new Parliament building between him and then Speaker Shivraj Patil when PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister.
"At the time when PV Narasimha Rao was the PM, Shivraj Patil was the Speaker and I was the Parliamentary Affairs minister, Shivraj ji had said to me that a new and bigger Parliament building should be constructed before 2026. The construction of a new building was necessary, it's good that it has been constructed now," he said.
Parliamentarians have to explain the reason for boycotting the inauguration function
He, however, avoided commenting on the issue of which political party would be attending or boycotting the inauguration event of the new Parliament building.
Terming a technical issue, the former Parliamentary Affairs Minister said that Parliamentarians who want to boycott this event or want to attend it is up to them.
"It is their point of view on how they want to perceive this event. Those parliamentarians will have to explain the reasons why they are boycotting the event. I don't want to comment on who will be attending or boycotting the inauguration event," Azad said.
Important to mention here that Ghulam Nabi Azad had snapped his 50-year-long relations with Congress Party on August 26, 2022, terming the party "comprehensively destroyed". He also lashed out at Rahul Gandhi for "demolishing" the party's entire consultative mechanism.
Notable Congress and eighteen other opposition parties have decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building and stated that it "insults the high office of the President, and violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution".
In a joint statement, the like-minded opposition parties said that Prime Minister's decision to inaugurate the building by himself is "a direct assault on our democracy, which demands a commensurate response." The new Parliament building will be inaugurated on May 28.
