NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday raised the question of the exclusion of the President of India from the inauguration event of the new Parliament building.
Taking it to Twitter, Kejriwal wrote “Modi did not invite the then President Shri Ram Nath Kovind to lay the foundation stone of Lord Shri Ram temple and the new Parliament House. Now the present President is not even getting the inauguration of the new Parliament House done by the hands of Mrs Draupadi Murmu,”
He further added that the Schedule Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe society across the country is asking whether we are considered inauspicious, and that’s why we don’t get an invite? The party previously voiced their opinion that it will skip the inauguration of the new Parliament building as President Draupadi Murmu was not invited to the event.
AAP leader Kuldeep Kumar also denounced the exclusion of the President from the inauguration event. He called it “a gross mistreatment of our Dalit and Adivasi presidents.” Lambasting on the BJP-led central government Kumar said, “Your claim of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas (inclusive development for all) rings hollow when you insult the first Adivasi Indian president, which amounts to an insult to our entire nation.”
Adding to Kumar’s statement, AAP MLA Rakhi Birla asserted that it is clear that the BJP perceives the SC-ST communities only as a vote bank. “However, when it comes to significant inaugurations, where their presence is crucial based on custom, constitution, qualification, and position, they are deliberately ignored and excluded,” Birla added.
The key 19 opposition parties earlier expressed their discontent on this issue.
In a joint statement, the opposition parties said, "Despite our belief that the government is threatening democracy, and our disapproval of the autocratic manner in which the new Parliament was built, we were open to sinking our differences and marking this occasion. however, Prime Minister Modi's decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, "completely sidelining President Droupadi Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response," as per PTI.