The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar on Sunday compared the new parliament building’s shape with a coffin in a Twitter post, triggering a political row. Meanwhile, Congress and the Janata Dal (United) staged protests in the state capital Patna against the inauguration of the new structure by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
PM Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building in Delhi on Sunday morning and expressed hope that it will become a cradle of empowerment. However, several Opposition parties boycotted the event contending that the President Droupadi Murmu and not the Prime Minister should inaugurate the new building.
The RJD posted a picture of a coffin and the new parliament building, asking ‘Ye Kya Hai?’ (what’s this?). The tweet went viral on social media with some reacting sharply against the post, while others justifying it.
Deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, when asked for his reply on the tweet, pleaded he was unaware of it and said he would speak only after going through the tweet.
Former deputy CM and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi said that it was a shameful act. If the RJD had the guts, it shall announce that it would not step into the new Parliament,” said Modi.
The Congress, led by the party’s state president Ahikhlesh Prasad Singh, took out a march from Boring Road Chauraha to Ambedkar statue near Patna high court to lodge their protest for not inviting President Droupadi Murmu to the event.
“The BJP exposed its anti-Dalit, anti-tribal and anti-women mentality by refusing to invite the President during the inauguration of the new parliament building, which is part of the Central Vista project,” Singh said.
JDU leaders also took out a march from the party office and staged dharna-cum-fast in front of the Ambedkar statue. JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh led the programme and said PM Modi had insulted the constitutional values by denying the opportunity to the President of India to inaugurate it.
