New Parliament building: Mayawati backs Centre, calls opposition's stand unfair
LUCKNOW: While around 20 opposition parties have decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former UP CM and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati termed the boycott of the event 'unfair'. She said that the central government had the right to unveil it as it had built it.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, the BSP chief said, “Whether it was the Congress party’s government at the Centre or now the BJP’s, the BSP has always extended its support to them over issues related to the public interest, rising above party politics. Viewing the inauguration of the new Parliament building in the same context, the party welcomes it.”
The BSP chief said that it was unfair to boycott the event just because the new Parliament building is not being inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu. “The government has made it, so it has the right to inaugurate it. It is also unfair to link this with tribal women’s respect. They (opposition) should have thought of this while fielding a candidate against her instead of electing her unopposed.”
Mayawati expressed gratitude for having received an invitation for the inauguration and extended best wishes for the success of the event. However, she expressed her inability to attend owing to her preoccupation with prior engagements. “I have received the invitation for the programme dedicated to the country, meaning the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament House, for which I am thankful and extend my best wishes. But due to my pre-scheduled engagements regarding the continuous review meetings of the party, I will not be able to attend the function,” Mayawati posted on Twitter in a series of tweets.
Mayawati’s statement comes after 20 Opposition parties including the UP-based Samajwadi Party and its ally, the Jayant Choudhury-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), issued a joint statement condemning the event on Wednesday. “Prime Minister Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response,” the signatories — including the Congress, AAP, and TMC — had stated. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had separately announced that his party’s MPs, too, would not attend the inauguration.
Meanwhile, other parties including the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) of Jagan Mohan Reddy, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), AIADMK and the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have consented to attend the event on May 28.