Controversies surrounding new Parliament House

On May 28, 2023 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla are set to inaugurate India’s new Parliament building. The fact that the PM is inaugurating the Parliament and not President Droupadi Murmu, has irked Opposition parties, most of whom have decided to boycott the ceremony in protest.

The Opposition have claimed that since the President is an integral part of the Parliament and is the official head of state, she should have been the ideal person to inaugurate the building.

The date of the inauguration has also turned out to be controversial, since it is the birthday of RSS ideologue V D Savarkar.

Read | All you need to know about the new Parliament

However, this is not the only controversy that has hovered around the new Parliament building. The project has been facing criticism since it was conceived in 2019.

What does the Central Vista Project include?

The Central Vista Project includes the new Parliament building, new residences for the Prime Minister as well as the Vice President, a new Central Secretariat, conversion of the North and South blocks into museums, constructions of ministerial offices, and renovation of the Raj Path, which has now been renamed to Kartavya Path. Construction of ministerial offices is also part of the project.

Other controversies surrounding the new Parliament

Construction during pandemic: The Opposition had first lashed out against the central government for constructing the new Central Vista at the peak of the pandemic, when thousands were dying each day.

In order to carry on construction, the Centre had listed the project under essential services, which led to much public outcry. While citizens were lining up for hospital beds and oxygen cylinders for their loved ones, the project was moving forward at its own steady pace.

Pollution: While the construction was going on, in the 2021 winter, the Air Quality Index of Delhi took a massive hit. This prompted the Supreme Court to order all construction work in Delhi to be halted, but work on the new building still went on.

The Central Vista project also required environmental clearance for its construction in accordance with the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification of 2006. However, it was revealed in 2020 that the Central Public Works Department had only submitted an application for the new Parliament, and not for the entire area surrounding it, which resultantly led to lesser scrutiny.

Read | India's new Parliament building: A look at key features

The Union government has revealed in the Lok Sabha that 2,466 trees had to be transplanted for the renovation of the Central Vista. While the Centre claimed that it would pant ten trees for each one that had been removed, only 30 per cent of the 400 trees that were planted managed to survive.

Emblem Row: The National Emblem, the Lion Capital of Ashoka, was also remodelled into three aggressive fang-baring big cats, which drew the irk of Opposition and observers alike.

Rajmohan Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, said in an interview with PTI, said, "The original work has dignity and confidence. The lions there are protective lions. The current sculpture shows anger and discomfort. Here the lions are aggressive."

Sengol symbolism: Another controversy has recently erupted over a sceptre, called the ‘Sengol’ that will be placed next to the Lok Sabha Speaker’s seat. The BJP has accused the Congress of hiding the fact that this sceptre was given to Jawaharlal Nehru by the British as a symbol of the transfer of power.

The Congress has, however, refuted such claims.

Although the grand old party has agreed that the Sengol was given to Nehru by the British, senior leader Jairam Ramesh has tweeted saying that “there is no documented evidence whatsoever of [Louis] Mountbatten, Rajaji (C Rajagopachari) and Nehru describing this spectre as a symbol of the transfer of British power to India. All claims to this effect are plain and simple bogus.”