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New Parliament inaugurated: PM Modi installs Sengol next to Lok Sabha Speaker’s chair, prayers, ceremonies ahead of landmark moment
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building with an elaborate Sengol ceremony preceded by prayers from all faiths.
PM Modi arrived at the complex at 7:15 am and took part i a puja with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Seers (aadheenams) from Tamil Nadu then handed the PM the Sengol, which is said to have been given to India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru by Viceroy Louis Mountbatten to mark the transfer of power. The PM prostrated before the Sengol before the seers gave it to him. He then proceeded to walk into the new Parliament, holding the Sengol aloft in his hands accompanied by seers who chanted slokas.
PM Modi then installed the Sengol near the Lok Sabha Speaker’s chair with Om Birla by his side. He then lit a lamp marking the inauguration of the structure.
The Opposition was absent from the solemn festivities since it had boycotted the inauguration, holding that it should be inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu and not PM Modi.
With state-of-the-art structure, the new Parliament building is said to meet the needs and standards of the 21st century. It is equipped with the latest technology and is up to the mark in terms of its environmental friendliness and energy efficiency.
The new Parliament can accommodate 888 Lok Sabha MPs and the Rajya Sabha chamber can seat 300. Both Houses of Parliament of 1,280 MPs can be seated in the Lok Sabha chamber.
About the new Parliament building
The new parliament building is spread across 64,500 sq m and is located in the heart of New Delhi, and is made of steel and glass. The building has a state-of-the-art audio-visual system and a conference hall that can accommodate up to 1,000 people.
The new Parliament was designed by a team of architects led by Bimal Patel. The building is inspired by the traditional Indian architectural style. The building’s facade is made of white marble and is adorned with intricate carvings. The interior of the building is decorated with traditional motifs and artwork.
The construction of the new Parliament began in 2020, and was completed in 2023 with an installation cost of Rs 20,000 crore to build.
Significance of the new Parliament building
With the BJP set to end its second term in power, the party aims for re-election with a call to make India a developed nation in the next 25 years by when Independent India will turn 100. PM Modi has christened the period Amrit Kaal. As part of this, the new Parliament symbolises India’s progress and prosperity since 1947. It is a testament to the country’s growing economic and political power. The building is also a symbol of India’s commitment to democracy and its desire to become a leading global power.
It is significant that May 28 is also the birth anniversary of Veer Savarkar, the Hindutva ideologue. Among other projects, the Ayodhya Ram temple is due to be opened for the public early next year when India will elect its next government and send a fresh set of MPs to the new Parliament.
India News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds massive roadshow at Palakkad in Kerala
The roadshow started after 10:45 am from Kottamaidan anchuvilakku, proceeding towards the head post office in the city. BJP state president K Surendran, BJP palakkad candidate C Krishna Kumar and candidate of the adjacent Ponnani constituency, Viveditha Subramanian, also accompanied the prime minister in the open vehicle.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow at Palakkad in Kerala on Tuesday that witnessed the participation of thousands of BJP workers and supporters. He reached Palakkad around 10:30 am, held a roadshow of over 30 minutes in the city. The roadshow started after 10:45 am from Kottamaidan anchuvilakku, proceeding towards the head post office in the city.
BJP state president K Surendran, BJP Palakkad candidate C Krishna Kumar and candidate of the adjacent Ponnani constituency, Viveditha Subramanian, also accompanied the prime minister in the open vehicle. Supporters present at either side of the road showered the prime minister with flowers and slogans supporting Modi and BJP.
Ahead of PM Modi’s roadshow, the Bharatiya Janata Party held a bike rally in the town on Monday evening. Modi’s Pallakkad roadshow follows his recent participation at a public meeting in Pathanamthitta town on March 15, where he rallied support for NDA candidates contesting in the southern Kerala constituencies.
Addressing a public gathering in Pathanamthitta, PM Modi said the Lotus is going to bloom in Kerala in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and attacked the ruling Left and the opposition Congress-led UDF, alleging that the people of the state have endured hardship under government plagued by corruption and incompetence.
In Kerala both LDF and UDF engage in apparent conflict but unite in Delhi. The Congress labels the Left government as fascist, while the Communists criticize Congress for Corruption. Yet they form alliances in the capital. He said both parties have deceived Kerala extensively. Kerala’s populace has now seen through this deception.
The prime minister has visited Kerala several times this year. He has also paid visits to famous temples in Kerala. Earlier on Monday PM Modi visited Karnataka’s Shivamogga and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. He attacked the Congress ruled government in the state and said the Congress leaders are only capable of telling blatant lies.
India News
Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s sister-in-law Sita Soren joins BJP after quitting JMM
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s sister-in-law Sita Soren joined BJP today.
Sita Soren, the sister-in-law of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and a legislator for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), joined BJP today, March 19. Hours before joining the BJP, Sita Soren announced her resignation from the JMM, citing of being neglected and isolated in the state’s ruling party.
At the BJP’s headquarters in New Delhi, Sita Soren joined the party in the presence of party’s national general secretary Vinod Tawde, and Jharkhand poll in-charge Laxmikant Bajpai.
The three-term MLA’s decision to join the BJP is encouraging for the party’s attempts to strengthen ties with the scheduled tribes, the JMM’s main vote base.
Sita Soren wrote her resignation letter to the party supremo and her father-in-law Shibu Soren, in which she expressed her grief and said the JMM had not given her and her family enough assistance after her husband Durga Soren passed away.
Reluctantly, Sita Soren announced her resignation from the party’s primary membership, saying that she felt abandoned.
She expressed her dismay as well, pointing out that the party has deviated from its tenets by accepting individuals whose beliefs conflict with its ethos. Sita said she has learned that her family and she are the targets of a conspiracy. The former JMM MLA said, she had no choice except to submit her resignation.
JMM’s spokesman Supriyo Bhattacharyya acknowledged hearing about the resignation when he was contacted for comment, but he said he had not yet received the formal letter.
Meanwhile, following her first election as an MLA in 2009 from the Jama Assembly constituency, Sita climbed to the position of national general secretary within the party.
She contested for the Jama assembly seat again in 2014 and registered her victory. She won the seat again in 2019.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and ASJU each won one seat, while the BJP secured 11 seats with a 51.9 percent vote share.
India News
RLJP President Pashupathi Kumar Paras resigns from Modi Cabinet after his party is denied seats in upcoming Lok Sabha Elections in Bihar
Pashupathi Kumar Paras said his party had 5 MPs and they had worked with utmost sincerity. He added injustice has been done to him and his party. As a result he is resigning from the post of the Union Minister.
Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) President Pashupathi Kumar Paras on Tuesday resigned from the Modi cabinet, a day after his party was denied any seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Bihar. He said the NDA alliance announced the list of 40 candidates for Bihar Lok Sabha election.
He said his party had 5 MPs and they had worked with utmost sincerity. He added injustice has been done to him and his party. As a result he is resigning from the post of the Union Minister. He had on Friday accused the BJP of not doing justice to his LJP faction and indicated that he may walkout of the ruling National Democratic Alliance. He said they are free to go anywhere and the doors are open.
On Monday, the NDA partners announced seat sharing in Bihar. According to the deal, the BJP will contest 17 seats, while Nitish Kumar led JD(U) will contest 16 and Chirag Paswan’s LJP will fight on 5.
Chirag-led LJP will contest on 5 seats- Jamui, Khagariya, Samastipur, Hajipur and Vaishali. In the last election, the undivided LJP had won 6 seats. Pashupati Paras was expecting these seats for his party. But the BJP went with Chirag. There was no mention of seat sharing with the LJP faction led by Minister Pashupati Paras. When Bihar BJP chief Samrat Chaudhary was asked about it, he said talks with him are undergoing.
Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) will contest 1 seat each. Among the key seats that the BJP will be contesting from are Pashchim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Aurangabad, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzzaffarpur, Maharajganj, Saran, Begusarai, Nawada, Patna Sahib, Patliputra, Aara, Buxar and Sasaram.
The JD(U) has been given Valmikinagar, Sitamadhi, Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Madhepura, Gopalganj, Siwan, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Nalanda, Jehanabad and Sheohar seats.
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