‘A self-glorifying authoritarian PM…’ Congress leader Jairam Ramesh slams Modi

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he inaugurated the new Parliament building, saying a “self-glorifying authoritarian PM with utter disdain for Parliamentary procedures” dedicated the new complex to the nation instead the President.

“A self-glorifying authoritarian Prime Minister with utter disdain for Parliamentary procedures, who rarely attends Parliament or engages in it, inaugurates the New Parliament building in 2023,” The Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications said in a tweet.

On this day, May 28th:

1. Nehru, the person who did the most to nurture Parliamentary democracy in India, was cremated in 1964.

2. Savarkar, the person whose ideological ecosystem led to the killing of Mahatma Gandhi, was born in 1883.

3. The President — the first Adivasi to…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 28, 2023

Noting today’s date, Ramesh further said Jawahar Lal Nehru, the person who did the most to “nurture Parliamentary democracy” in India, was cremated in 1964 and Savarkar, the person whose ideological ecosystem “led to the killing of Mahatma Gandhi”, was born in 1883.

Ramesh also said it is on the same day that President Droupadi Murmu – the first woman from the tribal community to become president – is not allowed to perform her Constitutional duties and inaugurate the new Parliament building.

“The President—the first Adivasi to become President — is not allowed to fulfil her Constitutional duties and inaugurate the New Parliament building in 2023,” he added.

Ramesh further said fabrication of facts by “distorians” and the drum-beating of the media hit new lows in 2023.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also took to Twitter and said that Parliament is the voice of the people but the prime minister is treating the inauguration of the new building like a “coronation”.

“Parliament is the voice of the people! The prime minister is treating the inauguration of the Parliament House as (a) coronation,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi soon after Modi inaugurated the building.

Indian politics is witnessing an intense verbal tussle over the inauguration of the new Parliament building as the Opposition believes that it should have been inaugurated by the President instead of the PM.

However, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday presented a stand on contrary to his party on the issue of ‘Sengol’ and said that everyone should embrace this symbol from the past to affirm the values of the present.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi installed the historic ‘Sengol’ in the Lok Sabha chamber while dedicating the new Parliament building to the nation.

Tharoor affirmed the government’s argument that ‘Sengol’ reflects a continuity of tradition, however, he also called the argument of Opposition righteous, that the Constitution was adopted in the name of the people.

Taking to Twitter, Tharoor said, “My own view on the Sengol controversy is that both sides have good arguments. The government rightly argues that the sceptre reflects a continuity of tradition by embodying sanctified sovereignty and the rule of dharma. The Opposition rightly argues that the Constitution was adopted in the name of the people and that sovereignty abides in the people of India as represented in their Parliament. It is not a kingly privilege handed down by divine right”.

“The two positions are reconcilable if one simply drops the debatable red herring about the sceptre having been handed to Nehru by Mountbatten to symbolise the transfer of power, a story for which there is no proof. Instead, we should simply say that the sengol, sceptre is a traditional symbol of power and authority, and by placing it in the Lok Sabha, India is affirming that sovereignty resides there and not with any monarch,” he added. (ANI)