New Parliament building first of its kind, existing one was a council hall: Fadnavis

Mumbai, May 25 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that the current Parliament structure was actually a “council hall” and for the first time, the country will have its own full-fledged Parliament building.

The senior BJP leader was speaking to reporters here, a day after as many as 20 opposition parties announced their decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28.

The opposition parties have accused the BJP-led Centre of denying President Droupadi Murmu, the first Adivasi woman President, her constitutional privilege to inaugurate the new Parliament building.

Fadnavis said, “One should not forget that the current Parliament building was actually a council hall. For the first time, India is going to have a full-fledged Parliament building.”

The deputy CM said there have been many instances in the past where state heads inaugurated important government buildings instead of inviting respective governors of the state.

“When late prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi inaugurated annexe buildings of the Parliament or took part in the ground-breaking ceremony for the Parliament’s library, was it against democratic norms,” Fadnavis asked.

As per the government’s Central Vista portal, the present Parliament House is a colonial-era building designed by British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. It was constructed between 1921 and 1927. Originally called the Council House, the building housed the Imperial Legislative Council.