Should the Opposition boycott the opening of the new Parliament Building on 28 May (which coincides with the birth anniversary of the controversial rightwing leader Veer Savarkar)? The Congress has issued a strongly worded statement questioning the PM’s right to inaugurate a building that it feels should be inaugurated by the President of India. The Congress is also pointing out that the government made a big deal of the fact that the President, Droupadi Murmu, is a woman and the first tribal to occupy the country’s highest office; and yet it is denying Murmu the honour of inaugurating the country’s highest temple of democracy. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge (a Dalit himself) has tweeted that: “The President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu is not being invited for the inauguration of the new Parliament Building. The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India, and the President of India is its highest Constitutional authority. She alone represents government, opposition, and every citizen alike. She is the First Citizen of India. Inauguration of the new Parliament building by her will symbolise the Government’s commitment to Democratic values and Constitutional propriety. The Modi Govt has repeatedly disrespected propriety. The Office of the President of India is reduced to tokenism under the BJP-RSS Government.”
These are strong words, but the BJP has dismissed the criticism as petty politics and seems to be going ahead with its plans. Now the opposition is mulling a boycott as this also comes on the heels of an ordinance passed by the Government to overturn a Supreme Court ruling. The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 gives the centre more power over the appointment of civil servants and authority over their workings. This has been interpreted by the opposition as an attack on the Federal structure of our constitution and also as a sign of disregard for the Supreme Court. The Aam Admi Party will challenge the Ordinance once the court resumes after the summer recess. But, it has united the Opposition on the same scale that Rahul Gandhi›s dismissal from Parliament did a few weeks earlier.
However, with the countdown to the 2024 general elections having started, expect more confrontation than reconciliation between the Treasury Benches and the Opposition. Indeed, if the inauguration of the new parliament building begins with a boycott, then that›s a grim warning for the future of this institution which is also known as a temple of democracy. The onus of finding a solution lies on the government of the day, but there is no one who can reach out to the Opposition and begin some back-channel talks. The authority lies in the Power of Two and neither of these two gentlemen are going to pander to the Opposition. In all likelihood, the shadow of a boycott will loom large on the symbolism of Opening Day.