Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi Party has decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building, Thursday sought to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi why it was not being inaugurated by the president.
The Aam Aadmi Party had earlier this week said it will boycott the inauguration ceremony of the new parliament building on May 28. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the building.
"Why didn't the prime minister get the new parliament (building) inaugurated by the President?," Kejriwal asked in a tweet in Hindi.
The AAP said it was "upset" that the parliament building was not being inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu. "Several other opposition parties will also not attend the event. We will boycott the ceremony," the party had said earlier.
As many as 19 opposition parties, including the Congress, Left, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and AAP have decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying they find no value in a new building when the "soul of democracy has been sucked out".
Noting that the inauguration of the Parliament building is a momentous occasion, the opposition parties in a joint statement said, "Despite our belief that the government is threatening democracy, and our disapproval of the autocratic manner in which the new Parliament was built, we were open to sinking our differences and marking this occasion".
However, Prime Minister Modi's decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, "completely sidelining President Droupadi Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response".
