Manmohan, Sonia too inaugurated legislative buildings: BJP goes on offensive

What was the ”locus standi” of Sonia Gandhi when she along with the then prime minister Manhoman Singh inaugurated legislative buildings in Manipur and Tamil Nadu, the Bharatiya Janata Party asked on Wednesday while countering the Congress's criticism over the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Congress's hypocrisy knows no limits," BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla charged as he reminded the opposition party that former prime minister Indira Gandhi had inaugurated the Parliament House Annexe and her successor Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation stone of the Parliament Library building in 1987.

As many as 20 parties, including the Congress, have announced a boycott of the ceremony on May 28, demanding that President Droupadi Murmu and not PM Modi do the inauguration.

Accusing the government of "completely sidelining" President Murmu, 19 parties have, in a statement, said they find no value in a new building when the "soul of democracy has been sucked out".

The BJP spokesperson alleged that the Congress had no problem when the then prime minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the Assembly building and complex in Manipur in 2011.

”PM Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi inaugurating the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly building complex is ok,” he said on Twitter.

”What was locus (standi) of Sonia Gandhi at these inaugurations?” Poonawalla asked.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had inaugurated the central hall in Bihar legislature, Poonawalla said on Twitter.

”In these five instances were the President, governors insulted?” Poonawalla said, calling the Congress the ”mother of hypocrisy”.

The Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party are among the parties that have announced a boycott of the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

Noting that it is a momentous occasion, the 19 parties in a joint statement said, "Despite our belief that the government is threatening democracy, and our disapproval of the autocratic manner in which the new Parliament was built, we were open to sinking our differences and marking this occasion."

However, Prime Minister Modi's decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, "completely sidelining President Droupadi Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response," they said.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Janata Dal-United, Communist Party of INdia-Marxist, CPI, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Indian Union Muslim League, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, National Conference, Kerala Congress-M, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Marumalarchi DMK and Rashtriya Lok Dal are the other signatories of the joint statement.

Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad and All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi said his party will also skip the ceremony.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that it was mere "drama" as these parties had never supported the project.

He also maintained that another reason for the boycott might be that the inauguration will be held on a day ”associated with Veer Savarkar”.

”The boycott is obvious. They had opposed the construction of the Parliament building in the first place,” Sarma told reporters in Guwahati.

The BJP leader claimed that the Opposition had never thought the construction of the new Parliament House would be completed so soon and it came to them like a ”bouncer”.

”So, just to save their face, they are enacting a drama of boycott. But the point remains that they never supported the project from day one... We never expected them to be in the function,” he added.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi urged the parties to reconsider their decision to boycott the ceremony.