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An ode to the old Parliament: What happens to it now?

It has been standing tall and strong with each phase that this country had to face and has witnessed India’s transition from pre-Independent to an Independent state.

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An ode to the old Parliament: What happens to it now?

By Pratik Agrawal

A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends… – India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in his historic Tryst with Destiny speech.

With India all set to get a new Parliament building dedicated to the country on Sunday, a moment Nehru savoured in 1947 looks set for replication on May 28.

When all eyes are on the new Parliament, the old one must not be forgotten, the one that has been witness to history as free India made its baby steps and has now entered the so-called Amrit Kaal. So one must wonder what happens to the old Parliament now?

There has been no comprehensive thought given to what use it would be put to. The Union government has said conserving and rejuvenating the rich heritage of the old Parliament building is a matter of national importance.

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said earlier that the existing building would undergo renovation and be repaired for alternative uses. Some reports have said a portion of the old building could be converted into a museum for the general public.

Last November ahead of Constitution Day, Supreme Court Senior Advocate Pradeep Rai had made an exceptional wish when he had sought then Law Minister Kiren Rjiju’s assistance in shifting the Supreme Court from its current location to its original location, which was the old Parliament building itself.

The Federal Court of India, which was established in 1937 under the Government of India Act, 1935, was functioning in the Chamber of Princes in the Parliament House for 12 years until January 28, 1950 when it became the Supreme Court of India.

The Supreme Court then continued to function from the old Parliament building till 1958, when it was shifted to the present Supreme Court complex.

Old Parliament Building brief history

Originally known as Council House, the foundation stone of old Parliament was laid on February 12, 1921 and was completed in 6 years.

The now-heritage building was inaugurated by Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of British-ruled India on January 18, 1927.

The building was designed by Herbert Baker and Edwin Lutyens. It cost around Rs 83 lakh then to build it.

A witness to India’s modern history

It has been standing tall and strong with each phase that this country had to face and has witnessed India’s transition from pre-Independent to an Independent state.

  • The most obvious moment for democratic India is the day it achieved independence from the British yoke. It was the one wish which had been dreamt of by thousands who embraced martyrdom.
  • The adoption of the Constitution in 1950 that declared India a republic giving its own supreme law and a federal structure in functioning.

Not free from attack

On November 7, 1966, Parliament faced its first attack when a large mob of gaurakshaks, sadhus from across the country marched to it demanding a ban on cow slaughter across the country.

The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had just completed 10-months in power and was facing a no-confidence motion but in view of the attack, she ordered firing on the assaulters leading to the death of seven people. A policeman died as well.

Parliament attack, December 13, 2001

A terrorist attack on Parliament meant a direct attack on India, its people and democracy. At around 11:30 am, five terrorists drove into the Parliament complex firing AK-47 rounds but brave Watch and Ward staff and police foiled them from entering the House, which had that time’s leading politicians in it.

Speeches that found their way into history books

At the hour of independence, Jawaharlal Nehru made his Tryst with Destiny address and India woke up to independence.

The “Grammar of Anarchy” by Dr BR Ambedkar, the chairman of the drafting committee of the Constitution.

On November 25, 1949, Dr Ambedkar reminded the people of India about the responsibilities they got upon becoming independent. Ambedkar said now there was no chance of an excuse to blame the British, if anything goes wrong and if things go wrong thereafter, it will be the entire responsibility of us the people of Independent India.

Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s mic-drop moment came when he taught the world how to resign in style. On May 31, 1996, facing a trust vote, Vajpayee delivered a speech that showed rare visuals from Parliament — a day when the Opposition was also all ears to Vajpayee speaking without making an uproar.

There are many such instances when Parliament was a mute witness to epochal speeches by parliamentarians.

India News

Landslide hits Arunachal Pradesh, highway linking Indo-China border affected

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that instructions have been given for the restoration of connectivity at the earliest

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Arunachal Pradesh got hit by a massive landslide on Thursday, which destroyed a section of a roadway connecting the border with China. Additionally, it is the only path that links the district of Dibhang Valley with the rest of India.

Based on initial reports, there has been extensive road damage along the Roing Anini Highway between Hunli and Anini.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed concern over the incident.

Taking to social media X, formerly Twitter, he tweeted, he is disturbed to hear that the massive damage to the highway between Hunli and Anini is causing commuters’ inconvenience. Since this road links Dibang Valley to the rest of the country, instructions have been sent out to restore connectivity as soon as possible.

The incident occurred as a result of the nonstop rain. The district government announced that the Roing Anini highway restoration project would require at least three days to inhabitants of Dibhang Valley.

Videos showed a section of the roadway was missing, making it hard for vehicles to cross throughout and creating problems for the security services and the people, who saw the highway as a lifeline in this difficult area.

In order to fix the damaged sections of the highway, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has mobilized resources. There is no shortage of food or other necessities at the moment.

All residents of Dibang Valley are notified that on April 24, 2024, an important portion of NH 313 connecting Anini to Roing washed away due to persistent rain in the district. It is estimated that restoration will take at least three (three days). Therefore, until the road is repaired and the rain returns to normal, all worries are advised, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng region was recently rocked by an earthquake of magnitude 3.0 on April 20, according to data from the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). The epicentre was located five kilometers below sea level at latitude 27.39 and longitude 92.68.

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India News

Tamannaah Bhatia summoned in illegal IPL streaming app case, to appear before cyber cell on April 29

Actor Tamannaah Bhatia has been summoned for allegedly promoting the viewing of the IPL matches on the Fairplay betting app.

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Actor Tamannaah Bhatia has been summoned by the Maharashtra Cyber Wing to appear for questioning for the illegal streaming of the 2023 Indian Premier League on Fairplay App, a sister app of the Mahadev betting app.

On April 29, the actor is scheduled to appear before the Cyber Cell for interrogation.

In the same case, rapper and singer Badshah was questioned earlier. In addition, actor Sanjay Dutt was also summoned in the same case this week on Tuesday, but he has requested an extension of time to appear before the department.

Even though the Fairplay app lacked official broadcasting rights, all of these actors and singers encouraged users to watch the Indian Premier League, which cost official broadcasters a lot of money.

An FIR was filed in September of last year in response to a complaint made by Viacom18, the company that owns the intellectual property rights (IPR) for streaming Indian Premier League games. According to the complaint, Viacom18 lost over Rs 100 crore as a result of the betting app Fair Play platform illegally streaming IPL matches on their platform.

Many celebrities, including Badshah, Sanjay Dutt, and Jacqueline Fernandez, were summoned for questioning after the filing of the FIR. An employee of the betting app was taken into custody in December of 2023.

A platform for betting exchange, FairPlay provides a large selection of sports and entertainment betting for leisure players.

The most popular sport on FairPlay, according to the app’s website, is tennis, football, and cricket.

According to the website, FairPlay streams every sporting event live so that users can watch and win at the same time.

Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, who had starred in advertisements for the Mahadev betting app, made news last year when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) called them in for interrogation.

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2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Mallikarjun Kharge vows to continue politics till his last breath to defeat BJP

The 81-year-old Congress leader was speaking at a election rally in Afzalpur and said that if the people did not vote for the Congress candidate, he would think that he did not have any place in Kalaburagi anymore.

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Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday appealed to the people of Kalaburagi to at least attend his funeral if they thought he worked for them even though they do not wish to vote for Congress in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The 81-year-old Congress leader was speaking at a election rally in Afzalpur and said that if the people did not vote for the Congress candidate, he would think that he did not have any place in Kalaburagi anymore. The Congress President sought an emotional chord with the people of his home district of Kalaburagi, Karnataka

The grand old party has fielded Kharge’s son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani from Kalaburagi, against BJP’s sitting MP Umesh Jadhav. Kharge had won the Lok Sabha elections from Kalaburagi in 2009 and 2014, but lost in 2019. He appealed to the voters to vote for Congress but at least come to his funeral if they thought that he had done some work in Kalaburagi. Kharge added that he would continue in politics till his last breath to defeat the BJP and RSS ideology.

The Congress leader said he is born for politics and whether or not he contests the election, he will continue to strive till his last breath to save the Constitution and democracy of the country. He asserted that he will not retire from politics. Kharge said that retirement happens from a position but one should not retire from his/her principles. He said he is born to defeat the ideology of the BJP and RSS and not to surrender before them.

He advised Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who shared the stage with him, to follow his principles. He said he had told Siddaramaiah many times that he may retire as CM or MLA, but he cannot retire from politics till he defeats the ideology of the BJP and RSS.

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