‘New Parliament was needed’: Ajit Pawar amid NCP skipping inauguration

Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar on Monday backed the new parliament building, saying it was needed keeping in mind the population of the country.

“Keeping the population of the country in mind which is crossing 135 crores, the people representing them will also increase. So I personally feel this new Parliament building was needed. It was built in record time even during the COVID period. Now in this new building, everyone should work as per the Constitution and resolve the issues of common people, everyone should take part in it”, ANI quoted Pawar as saying.

His statement is in stark contrast to the stand taken by NCP which was among the 20 opposition parties that skipped the inauguration of new parliament building on Sunday. Ajit’s uncle Sharad Pawar had expressed concerns over the rituals which took place during the inauguration.

“I saw the event in the morning. I am happy I didn’t go there. I am worried after seeing whatever happened there. There is a huge difference between the country’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru talking about the concept of modern India and a series of rituals performed at the new Parliament building today in New Delhi. I fear that we are taking our country backward by decades”, the NCP president had said.

Ajit Pawar’s cousin Supriya Sule had also termed the inauguration an ‘incomplete event’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the new parliament complex amid Vedic rituals and multi-faith prayer ceremony. He installed the historic ‘Sengol’ from Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha chamber next to the Speaker’s chair.