Bengaluru: The Trinamool Congress known for its anti-Modi stand will abstain from attending the inauguration of the new parliament building on May 28. The party’s leaders including Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derik O’Brian, have stated that the party will boycott the inaugural function.
Sudip Bandyopadhyay, the TMC’s leader in Lok Sabha, expressed his view that the inauguration event should have been held on significant dates such as Independence Day, Republic Day, or Gandhi Jayanti, rather than on V. D. Savarkar’s birth anniversary.
“We have made the decision to boycott the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building on May 28. The inauguration should have taken place on either Independence Day, Republic Day, or Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. It was inappropriate to choose V. D. Savarkar’s birth anniversary,” he added.
Bandyopadhyay stated that his party had already notified to the Central Government its views on why it was boycotting the function.
“The opposition parties have been left unaware of the future plans for the old Parliament building. The Government has maintained complete silence on this matter,” he remarked.
Another leader Derek O’Brien, TMC’s leader in Rajya Sabha, emphasised that Parliament is not merely a physical structure but an institution built on age-old traditions, values, and principles, serving as the bedrock of Indian Democracy.
“The new Parliament building is not just about the structure itself; it represents an institution with long-standing traditions, values, precedents, and regulations – it embodies the essence of Indian democracy. Prime Minister Modi fails to comprehend this. To him, the Sunday inauguration event is solely about ‘I,’ ‘me,’ and ‘myself.’ Therefore, we declare our abstention,” he tweeted.
Some other friendly parties with the TMC may also join the boycott. According to political observers Aam Aadmi Party, RJD, BSP and many others may follow suit as they share the same view about the inauguration of the Central Vista (the new Parliament Bhavan) on May 28 as TMC.