On the eve of the inauguration of the new building of the Parliament, veteran politician, and former Parliamentary Affairs minister Ghulam Nabi Azad criticized the attitude of the opposition parties to boycott the function.
"I would have surely attended the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building if I was in Delhi but it is not possible for me to become part of the historic event because I have prior engagements in J&K on May 28", Azad said.
"The opposition should praise the government to build the new Parliament in record time, whereas they are criticizing the government. I am strictly against the opposition boycotting this", Azad said.
Earlier 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.
Omar endorses Azad's stand
Although the name of the National Conference is included in the list of "like-minded opposition parties" which are going to boycott the function of the inauguration of the new building of the Parliament, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has virtually endorsed the stand of veteran politician Ghulam Nabi Azad on this burning issue.
"Setting aside the brouhaha about the inauguration for a moment, this building is a welcome addition. The old Parliament House has served us well but as someone who has worked there for a few years, a lot of us often spoke amongst ourselves about the need for a new & improved parliament building. Better late than never is all I'll say & this one looks pretty damn impressive", Omar tweeted amid raging controversy over the inauguration of the new Parliament building.
Omar also shared a video of the new Parliament building which is going to be inaugurated on May 28.
Setting aside the brouhaha about the inauguration for a moment, this building is a welcome addition. The old Parliament House has served us well but as someone who has worked there for a few years, a lot of us often spoke amongst ourselves about the need for a new & improved… https://t.co/xxok8C1MRw
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 26, 2023
Altaf Bukhari slams the opposition for politicizing this issue
Former Minister and Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari criticized opposition parties for boycotting the historic event.
"Unfortunately, opposition parties are trying to score political points on this issue", Bukhari said, adding, "Political differences do not mean that we should boycott such event".
"We too have differences with the present government on many issues but it does not mean that we would boycott such historic events", he said and added that some parties are just trying to make news.
As reported earlier 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.
