New Parliament Building Inauguration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new New Parliament House on Sunday, May 28, 2023. He unveiled the plaque to mark the inauguration of the new Parliament House. Earlier, he installed the historic Sengol near the chair of Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla. The inauguration ceremony started early in the morning amid the chanting of mantras by Adneenams, who had arrived from Chennai to participate in the event.

During the ceremony, a multifaith prayer also took place. The new Parliament building, part of the Central Vista Project, has replaced the old Parliament House, which started its operations in January 1927. The new Parliament House is spread over an area of 65,000 square meters. Security had been stepped up in Lutyens' Delhi ahead of the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

Representatives of as many as 25 parties and many dignitaries, including chief ministers and ministers, attended the inauguration. Earlier, a total of 20 parties had announced a boycott of the ceremony. According to the traffic advisory, only public transport vehicles, civil service aspirants, bonafide residents, labeled vehicles, and emergency vehicles are allowed to move in the New Delhi area.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday described the new Parliament building as a "temple of democracy" and wished that it continues to strengthen India's development trajectory and empower millions.

Modi, who had urged people to share a video of the new building on Twitter with the hashtag 'MyParliamentMyPride', also noted that through very emotional voiceovers people are conveying a spirit of pride that the nation is getting a new Parliament that will keep working to fulfill people's aspirations with more vigor.

The inauguration of the new Parliament building is set to witness dignitaries, religious leaders, and eminent personalities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building on Sunday. The new Parliament building inauguration ceremony begins with an early morning havan and a multi-religion prayer followed by a formal opening in the Lok Sabha by Prime Minister Modi.

The new complex will also have a grand Constitution Hall to showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for members of Parliament, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas, and ample parking space.

The inauguration's opening ceremony is planned to be a day-long event divided into two sections.

The havan will be held outside the new Parliament building at 7 a.m., where the ceremonial scepter Sengol will be handed over to Modi by the Shaivite order's senior priests, PTI quoted officials as saying.

The pujas will continue till 9 a.m., after which the inauguration ceremony is scheduled to commence around noon.

The tentative schedule of the Parliament inauguration:

7.15 AM: Arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the new Parliament Building.

7.30 AM: The ceremony starts with a havan and puja which will last for an hour.

8.30 AM: Prime Minister will arrive at the Lok Sabha chamber.

9.00 AM: The ‘Sengol’, a historical scepter from Tamil Nadu, is to be installed near the chair of the Speaker.

9.30 AM: A prayer ceremony will be held in the lobby. The Prime Minister will exit the Parliament premises after the prayer ceremony concludes.

Part II

11.30 AM: Arrival of guests and dignitaries.

12.00 PM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives. The ceremony starts with the National Anthem.

12.10 PM: Speech by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, expected to read out messages from President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

12.17 PM: Screening of two short films.

12.38 PM: Speech by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha (unlikely to attend). Speech by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

1.05 PM: Release of Rs 75 coin and a commemorative stamp by the Prime Minister.

1.10 PM: Speech by PM Narendra Modi.

2.00 PM: Conclusion of ceremony

Highlights of the inauguration of the New Parliament

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building on Sunday. Following are the highlights of the day as the event unfolded from 7 am onwards:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks inside the Parliament premises dressed in a crisp dhoti and kurta for religious ceremonies to mark the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

Amid chanting of Vedic hymns, the Prime Minister performed Ganapati Homam as part of the Vastu Pooja rituals, prostrated before the 'Sengol', the ceremonial sceptre that traces its tradition back to the Chola dynasty that took roots in the third century BCE.

The high priests of 21 'adheenams' from Tamil Nadu consecrated the 'Sengol' and handed it over to the Prime Minister, who carried it in a ceremonial procession to the new Parliament building and installed it on the right side of the Lok Sabha Speaker's chair.

At least 20 opposition parties boycotted the inauguration of the new Parliament building, contending that President Droupadi Murmu, being the head of the state, should have done the honours.

All-religion prayers were also held to mark the inauguration of the new parliament building.

Spiritual strains of Shaivite hymns from the sacred Thevaram text set the tone for the ceremonial rituals.

Priests from the Sringeri Math of Karnataka performed the ceremonial Vastu Pooja. Priests from the same Math performed the rituals at the ground-breaking ceremony on December 10, 2020.

While the old Parliament building took six years to complete, the new building, spread over a built-up area of 64,500 sqm, was ready in a record time of two and half years.

The Lok Sabha Chamber has 888 seats, which can accommodate 1,272 members during a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The Upper House chamber has 384 seats.

The new building also has six new committee rooms and 92 rooms for use as offices for the Council of Ministers.

The public entrances lead to three galleries -- the Sangeet Gallery which exhibits dance, song, and musical traditions of India, the Sthapthya Gallery depicts the architectural heritage of the country, and the Shilp Gallery showcases distinct handicraft traditions of different states.

The new parliament building is home to nearly 5,000 artworks, including paintings, wall panels, stone sculptures, and metal murals.

Interior decoration in the Lok Sabha has peacock motifs on carpets, ceilings, and lattice work for windows. The Rajya Sabha chamber is decorated with a lotus motif.

At the formal inauguration function, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was the only non-NDA leader in attendance.

Chief Ministers of NDA constituent parties such as Eknath Shinde (Maharashtra), Conrad Sangma (Meghalaya), Zoramthanga (Mizoram), Neiphu Rio (Nagaland), and Prem Singh Tamang (Sikkim) were present at the formal inauguration ceremony held in the Lok Sabha chamber.

Ambassadors of several foreign countries were also present during the function.

The Prime Minister also released a commemorative postal stamp and a Rs 75 coin to mark the occasion.

The Prime Minister said 25 years before Independence, Mahatma Gandhi had captivated everyone with the idea of Swaraj through the non-cooperation movement.

India will complete 100 years of Independence in the next 25 years, he said, and urged every citizen to work towards a developed India during this period of "Azadi ka Amrit Kaal."