New Delhi: Giving modern India a modern house of democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the new Parliament building, which is situated just next to the previous one. In his address after the unveiling ceremony, Mr Modi said, "Every brick, every wall, every particle of this new Parliament House will be dedicated to the welfare of the poor."
Terming it a rare moment in the history of India, the PM said, "Some dates become the immortal signature on the face of time. May 28 is one such day. The people of India have given themselves a gift for the Amrit Mahotsav." He also expressed that every decision taken in the new Parliament will adorn the coming centuries and strengthen the coming generations.
Amid controversies over the "Sengol" and boycotts by the Opposition parties, the new building was inaugurated in two parts -- in the first with vedic rituals, following which the Sengol was handed over to the PM by the seers from Karnataka's Shringeri Math. The Sengol was placed by the PM in the Lok Sabha. The PM also participated in the "sarv dharma" (all-religion) prayer meet and felicitated some of the workers who were part of the Parliament building construction project.
Over 60,000 people worked in the making of this new building, which was readied in a record time of two-and-a-half years. The work had started around the Covid-19 lockdown.
In the second part, the PM inaugurated the new Parliament building by addressing a huge gathering that included Members of Parliament, Union Cabinet ministers, chief ministers of states, former President Ram Nath Kovind, former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, former PM H.D. Deve Gowda, diplomats, judges, etc. He also released a commemoration stamp and a '75 coin. Speaker of Lok Sabha Om Birla and deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh were present on the occasion.
"This new Parliament building connects planning to reality, policy to realisation, willpower to execution and sankalp to siddhi. This will be a medium for realising the dreams of the freedom fighters. It will witness the sunrise of Aatmnirbhar Bharat and will see the realisation of a Viksit Bharat. This new building is an example of the coexistence of ancient and modern," the Prime Minister said in his address.
Arriving in traditional attire, a dhoti kurta, for the morning prayers to install the Sengol, the PM along with the Lok Sabha Speaker performed "Ganapati Homam" to invoke gods to bless the inauguration of the new Parliament building, with the Sengol kept close by.
These rituals were carried out by the Adheenams from Tamil Nadu, who offered flowers to the Sengol before handing it over to the PM. Before taking it over, Mr Modi did a "dandvat pranam" (prostrated) before the Sengol as the priests handed over the historical sceptre to him. The PM, along with 21 seers, then carried the Sengol to the new Parliament building in a procession amid tunes of "nadaswaram" and chanting of mantras, where he installed the Sengol with Nandi at the top facing east-west direction near the Speaker's chair in the new Lok Sabha House. He also lit up the diya and offered flowers to the Sengol, with Mr Birla by his side.
Referring to the establishment of sacred Sengol, the Prime Minister said in his address that in the great Chola Empire, Sengol was seen as the symbol of the path of service, duty and nation. "It is our good fortune that we could restore the dignity of this sacred Sengol. This Sengol will keep on inspiring us during the proceedings of the House", he added.
Talking about the new building, the PM said, "This building has virasat (heritage) as well as vastu (architecture), kala (art) as well as kaushal (skill), sanskriti (culture), as well as notes of samvidhan (Constitution)."
Mr Modi pointed out that the interiors of Lok Sabha are themed on the national bird peacock and Rajya Sabha on the national flower lotus. The Parliament premises have the national tree, the banyan. The new building incorporates the specialties of different parts of the country. He mentioned granite from Rajasthan, timber from Maharashtra and carpets by Bhadhoi artisans. "We witness the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat in every particle of this building", he said.
The Prime Minister pointed out the difficulties faced by the parliamentarians in getting work done in the old Parliament building and gave examples of challenges due to the lack of technical facilities and the paucity of seats in the old House. The need for a new Parliament, the PM said, had been discussed for decades and it was the need of the hour that a new Parliament be developed. He expressed delight that the new Parliament House is equipped with the latest technology and that the halls are also sunlit.
