Ahead of the inauguration of India's new parliament building on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the nation's opposition, who have decided to boycott the ceremony.
Modi took a dig at the opposition parties on Thursday as he addressed supporters who had gathered to welcome him back from his Australia trip, where at least 20,000 people turned up to hear him speak.
“Not only Australian PM Anthony Albanese was in the audience but also former Australian PM and the entire Opposition were together for the sake of their nation,” Modi said.
“In times of crises, they (opposition) asked why Modi was giving vaccines to the world. Remember, it's the land of Buddha, it's the land of Gandhi. We care even for our enemies. We are the people inspired by compassion,” Prime Minister Modi stated, referring to the opposition's criticism of exporting COVID vaccines to foreign countries during the peak of the pandemic.
Why Opposition to Boycott New Parliament Inauguration
As many as 19 opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress (INC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Trinamool Congress, have demanded that the new parliament building be inaugurated by India's President Droupadi Murmu.
Referring to the Article 79 of the Indian Constitution, the opposition parties said President Murmu "is not only the Head of State but also an integral part of the Parliament."
At the same time, four political parties, including Odisha’s governing Biju Janata Dal, and Andhra Pradesh’s Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) have announced that they will attend the event.
Bharatiya Janata Party national President J.P. Nadda along with Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi, former Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, parliamentarians from Delhi Ramesh Vidhuri, Hans Raj Hans, and Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhur, as well as hundreds of party workers were present at Delhli's Palam Airport.