Patnaik's BJD ignores Oppn's boycott Parliament launch call, to attend event
The opposition parties had earlier boycotted the ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the building in December 2020, citing concerns about its timing.
Distancing itself from the 19 opposition parties' decision to skip the inauguration of the new Parliament building, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday said it will be part of this “momentous occasion.” The BJD said in a statement that constitutional institutions like the Parliament and the President of India should be above any issue “which may affect their sanctity and honour” and stressed that issues raised by the opposition parties “can always be debated later in the august house.”
“The President of India is the Head of the Indian State. The Parliament represents the 1.4 billion people of India. Both the institutions are symbols of Indian democracy and draw their authority from the Constitution of India,” the statement read.
"Their authority and stature should always be safeguarded. BJD believes that these Constitutional institutions should be above any issue which may affect their sanctity and honour. Such issues can always be debated later in the august house. Hence the BJD shall be a part of this momentous occasion," it added.
This is not the first time that Naveen Patnaik's BJD has taken a different position from opposition parties on contentious issues, including the abrogation of Article 370.
Also Read | New Parliament inauguration: List of parties attending, boycotting the event
Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP has also decided to take part in the inauguration event scheduled for May 28. Reddy on Wednesday urged the opposition parties to set aside all political differences and attend the event saying “Boycotting such an auspicious event is not in the true spirit of democracy.”
“In the true spirit of democracy, my party will attend this historic event,” he wrote on Twitter.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have also confirmed their participation in the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building. Apart from the BJP's allies, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP-Ram Vilas) are also likely to attend the event.
As many as 19 opposition parties, including the Congress, Left, TMC, SP and AAP, announced their decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying they find no value in a new building when the "soul of democracy has been sucked out". They alleged that Prime Minister Modi's decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself and “completely sidelining President Droupadi Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response.”
