LIVE Updates: PM Modi to inaugurate India’s new Parliament building in Delhi

Well, from Rajasthan, the new Parliament building has sandstone. 

Similar to the Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said, “The opposition is not liking the good work being done by PM Modi, but the people of country are with him.”

Despite the construction of the new Parliament building, the Centre has decided that both the old and new structures will work in conjunction to ensure smooth and efficient functioning of parliamentary operations.

The Lok Sabha (House of the People or Lower House) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States or Upper House) had a different look to it in the existing Parliament building. The Lok Sabha chamber featured vibrant green upholstery, with over 550 seats for Members of Parliament (MPs). The Rajya Sabha chamber embraced shades of red, with 250 seats for Rajya Sabha members. 

The Parliament House witnessed several defining moments- adoption of the Indian Constitution on January 26, 1950, debates on critical issues such as framing of laws, speeches of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee whose words shaped the course of the nation.

The existing Parliement building is designed by renowned British architects Sir Herbert Becker and Sir Edwin Lutyens and was constructed in the early 20th century with its foundation stone laid in 1921 by Britain’s Duke of Connaught. The building took six years to complete and was inaugurated in 1927.

The protesting wrestlers said that there was a lot of “pressure” on them to call off the Mahila Mahapanchayat that they have planned in front of the new Parliament building but they will go ahead with the “peaceful” march. 

The agitating wrestlers are demanding the arrest of former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Singh who they claim sexually harassed several women grapplers. Olympic medallists Bajranj Punia, Sakshi Malik and Asian Games gold winner Vinesh Phogat said that any amount of force will not deter them from going ahead with the peaceful march.

Rajinikanth expressed his gratitude to PM Modi ahead the new Parliament building’s inauguration. Writing on Twitter, Rajinikanth said, “The traditional symbol of Tamil power – the sceptre – will shine in India’s new parliament building. My sincere thanks to the honourable bharat pratham @narendramodi who made tamilians proud.”

Bollywood star Akshar Kumar posted congratulatory messages for PM Modi on Twitter, saying, “Proud to see this glorious new building of the Parliament. May this forever be an iconic symbol of India’s growth story. #MyParliamentMyPride.”

While responding to his video PM Modi said, “You have conveyed your thoughts very well. Our new Parliament is truly a beacon of our democracy. It reflects the nation’s rich heritage and the vibrant aspirations for the future. #MyParliamentMyPride.”

The Adheenams (priests) handed over the sacred sceptre, ‘Sengol’, to PM Modi on the eve of the inauguration of the new Parliament building. ‘Sengol’, which marked the symbol of the transfer of power from the British to India, will be kept as a legacy in the new Parliament building.

The Central Vista project is a redesign of monuments and government buildings between New Delhi’s India Gate and the sprawling red sandstone president’s house. The buildings were designed by British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in the early 20th century. 

The project kicked off soon after PM Modi returned to power in 2019.

Delhi Police issued a traffic advisory that New Delhi district will be treated as a controlled area and entry of vehicles will be restricted. Police pickets have also been set up in central Delhi and tight security arrangements have been made to maintain law and order, an official told news agency ANI. 

Materials used in the construction of the new Parliament have been sourced from across the country. The red and white sandstone used in the making of the building has been procured from Rajasthan’s Sarmathura. 

Kesaria green stone installed inside the Lok Sabha chamber has been brought from Udaipur. 

The furniture was crafted in Mumbai. 

The materials used in sculpting the Ashoka Emblem were brought from Aurangabad and Jaipur.

The building also uses manufactured sand or M-sand from Charkhi Dadri in Haryana for creating a concrete mix for construction activities.

1. The new parliament will have a “constitution hall”- putting the citizens “at the heart of the democracy,” the Central Vista project website states.
2. The new complex is a “platinum-rated green building”- a focus on energy efficiency. 
3. The new parliament is also ‘divyang-friendly’. 
4. The new complex has been designed in an “ultra-modern” fashion, geared with the latest communication technologies.
5. The building has a new designed library to give a “superior experience” to the members of both Houses.

The new building is triangular in shape to ensure optimum space utilisation, according to the Central Vista Redevelopment Project’s website.

The theme of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is based on India’s national bird (peacock) and national flower (lotus) respectively.

The chief architect of the new parliament building is Bimal Patel. Reputed industrialist Ratan Tata’s company TATA has constructed the new building. You will see both of them at the historic ceremony. 

Credit where credit’s due, right?

The present building of the Parliament was completed in 1927, and is now going to be almost 100 years old. But members of both the Houses experienced lack of space in the building as there was a lack of convenient arrangements for the sitting of the MPs. 

In the present building of the Parliament, there is a provision for the sitting of 543 Members in the Lok Sabha and 250 in the Rajya Sabha but the new Parliament building will enable 888 members to sit in the Lok Sabha.

So, no ‘space’ issues anymore!

1. The new Parliament building built in independent India is set to replace the one built during colonial rule. 
2. The grand opening will be done by PM Narendra Modi which began with priests giving the historic sceptre — sengol — which the government has termed a symbol of the transfer of power from the British in 1947, on the eve of the inauguration.
3. The sceptre, which will be installed in the new building, will always keep reminding his government to walk on the path of duty and remain answerable to the public, PM Modi said. 
4. As many as 19 parties led by Congress are likely to boycott the opening ceremony. 
5. They think the new Parliament should be inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu, and not the PM, as she is the head of state.

You HAVE to keep reading Hindustan Times for more. We got a lot to tell you! 

Shah Rukh Khan congratulated PM Modi on the new Parliament building sharing a video showcasing it. 

“What a magnificent new home for the people who uphold our Constitution, represent every citizen of this great Nation and protect the diversity of her one People@narendramodi ji. A new Parliament building for a New India but with the age-old dream of Glory for India. Jai Hind! #MyParliamentMyPride,” Shah Rukh Khan wrote. 

If there is one thing you see before the inauguration of the new Parliament building, please let it be this: The artistic impression of the building 

The new Parliament has been built using 26,045 MT steel, 9,689 cubic metre fly ash and… 63,807 MT cement. 

Geek out about the new Parliament (like we are doing) here

An impressive workforce consisting of approximately 2,500 skilled stonecutters and masons was employed solely for the purpose of shaping the stones and marbles. For the new Parliament building, employment generated in man-days stands at 23,04,095. 

1. PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building on December 10, 2020 in New Delhi at an event that was attended by leaders from various political parties, cabinet ministers and ambassadors of different countries. 
2. PM Modi also performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the building.
3. The new Parliament will have an area of 64,500 square metres.
4. The building was built at a cost of ₹971 crore. 
5. The new Parliament can accommodate 888 members in the Lok Sabha and 300 members in the Rajya Sabha.

The foundation stone of the building was laid by Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught in 1921, and the building was inaugurated on January 18, 1927. The recently concluded monsoon session of Parliament could perhaps be the last in the old building.

Former chief of National Gallery of Modern Art, Advaita Gadanayak said that the Parliament house should reflect both – the history of the country and its position in the 21st century.

“India has a thousand-year-old history of arts and crafts, and the Parliament should reflect the ethos of the same. That is what the Prime Minister has also focused on. Just like when Nandlal Bose made the murals for the old Parliament reviving Ajanta and Ellora, in a contemporary style then, even today the Parliament should reflect that,” he said.

The art at the new Parliament is the culmination of efforts by almost 75 artists and scholars, brought together by the ministry of culture.

“True to the philosophy of ‘Sarv Dharam Samppan’ (equality of all religions), the art within Parliament will reflect the spiritual tapestry of the country,” an official told Hindustan Times.

The Parliament Art Advisory Committee was constituted in February 2022. It was assigned the task of developing a concept for Parliament’s artwork. And… it did for all galleries, identifying themes, selecting regional artists and artworks, and supervising the execution and installation of the artworks.

Can’t wait to see it? Well, neither can we. 

There will be two imposing murals made of brass, each standing 75ft tall in the new Parliament building, other than the artwork. One will encapsulate India’s vast heritage and culture, and the other will offer a narration of the epic tale of “Samudra Manthan” inspired by depiction of the episode at Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple complex.

Amazing, right? Yes!

The interiors of the new Parliament will display art installations curated from different parts of the country in an attempt to capture India’s rich diversity. Six ceremonial entrances and public access ways – along with the galleries of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha – will showcase these installations, Hindustan Times has reported. Animals revered in various parts of the country — the Garud (eagle), Gaj (elephant), Ashva (horse), and Maggar (crocodile) — will be featured in these gateway installations. 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Hema Malini said that the installation of ‘Sengol’ is a matter of great pride and not a matter of controversy. “This ‘Sengol’ will be installed in the new Parliament building. This is a matter of great pride and honour for our country and each one of us, this is not a matter of controversy,” she said. 

Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said that the Opposition is unnecessarily opposing the inauguration. “Opposition is unnecessarily opposing the inauguration of the New Parliament Building by PM Modi as PM Modi and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla laid the foundation stone of the Parliament and today they will be inaugurating the Parliament itself. I don’t find anything wrong,” the Goa CM told ANI.

Police are checking and barricading near Tikri border & Singhu border area ahead of protesting wrestlers march towards new Parliament. Khap Panchayat leaders, farmers are said to join protesting wrestlers who have decided to hold a women’s Maha Panchayat in front of the new Parliament building.

In Delhi today? Well, the traffic advisory says that only public transport vehicles, civil service aspirants, bonafide residents, labelled vehicles and emergency vehicles will be allowed to move in the New Delhi area. Delhi Traffic Police urged people to plan their journey accordingly and avoid the New Delhi district from 5:30 am to 3 pm.

Security was stepped up in Lutyens’ Delhi ahead of the inauguration of the new Parliament building by PM Narendra Modi as the elaborate ceremony will be attended by many eminent personalities. The Parliament building is located in a high-security area where besides additional deployment, there is continuous monitoring through CCTV cameras, the police said.

The Centre urged opposition parties to rethink their decision, calling the boycott an insult to democracy. Union minister Anurag Thakur called the boycott an “insult”, saying, “It is a different matter that some people got barred from Parliament. Earlier, they used to find excuses for not allowing Parliament to function. Now, they are talking of boycott which is also an insult.”

21 opposition parties — including the Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party — have decided to keep away from the event. The parties have argued that President Droupadi Murmu should have presided over the inauguration, not PM Modi.

PM Modi, retweeting a video of the new Parliament, said, “May this Temple of Democracy continue strengthening India’s development trajectory and empowering millions.”

“Several people are expressing their joy on #MyParliamentMyPride. Through very emotional voice-overs they are conveying a spirit of pride that our nation is getting a new Parliament which will keep working to fulfil people’s aspirations with more vigour,” PM Modi added. 

Political tensions have simmered for days now over PM Modi’s decision to inaugurate the building. Opposition parties said that as the President summons, prorogues and addresses Parliament, and her assent is a must for any act to become law, her not inaugurating the building is an insult to her office.

“It undermines the spirit of inclusion which saw the nation celebrate its first woman adivasi President,” said a statement released by 19 Opposition groups on Wednesday. The signatories include the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Janata Dal (United), Nationalist Congress Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Indian Union Muslim League, National Conference, Communist Party of India, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Kerala Congress (Mani), Vidhuthalai Chirunthaigal Katchi, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Revolutionary Socialist Party, and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

The sprawling complex replaces India’s existing, iconic, colonial-era Parliament building, built in 1927, which served as the seat of the country’s popular will for 75 years.

The inauguration marks the end of three years of construction work and showcases the highlight of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government’s ambitious Central Vista revamp project. 

After meeting Adheenams, PM Modi said that he felt very blessed to welcome the priests at his residence. “Feel very blessed that I had the opportunity to welcome the respected Adheenams to my residence,” PM Modi tweeted. Adheenams (priests) who handed over the sacred sceptre, ‘Sengol’ to PM Modi

It’s the mega event that you just cannot miss. 

India gets a swanky new parliament as PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new building with a grand ceremony. You can tune in to Doordarshan (DD) channel and as well as its official YouTube page to watch the ceremony live. Details here

And…

You can catch all the LIVE Updates at Hindustan Times as we cover the inauguration ceremony for you.