Amid a boycott by several opposition parties for not inviting President Droupadi Murmu on the occasion of inauguration of India’s new parliament building, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went ahead and inaugurated it on May 28, 2023.[1]
The entire affair of Parliament’s inaugural was engulfed in a number of controversies. First, the new Parliament building was inaugurated on the birth anniversary of V D Savarkar, pioneer of the divisive ‘Hindutva’ ideology. For Congress, the fact that Savarkar’s birth date was chosen to inaugurate the new building was a “complete insult” to India’s founding fathers.[2]
Second, Mr. Modi came under fire for holding puja according to Hindu rituals on the occasion. The Communist Party of India (M) leader, Sitaram Yechury, observed that the Constitution gives the right and protection to all Indians to practice and profess their faith. However, at the same time, the Constitution also clearly stipulates that the State does not profess or practice any faith or religion. The CPI (M) advised that religion must be kept separate from national functions.[3]
