In response to the opposition parties’ call to boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inauguration of the new Parliament building, several Jammu and Kashmir leaders and activists on Friday expressed support for the inauguration while calling the opposition’s decision “childish and trivial.”
On 28 May, PM Modi will dedicate the new Parliament building to the country. As many as 21 political parties have declared their intention to boycott the inauguration ceremony.
Adil Hussain, a socio-political activist, told media that the new Parliament building is a temple of democracy that everyone, including the opposition, should be proud of.
Hussain stated that “The new parliament building is the temple of democracy. It is a very proud thing for all of us, for all Indians including the opposition. In the last 70 years, we did not have such leadership.
“If you see the ratings worldwide, Prime Minister Modi’s rating is 78 whereas US President Joe Biden’s rating is only 43. The opposition has expressed issues but we do not think that this is such a big issue. Politics should not be done on this.”
Meanwhile, Firdous, a spokesperson for Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Asad Party (DPAP), remarked, “This is not such a big issue as the opposition has been portraying.” The opposition parties’ behaviour is plain infantile. This new Parliament structure has a vision. PM Modi’s decision to dedicate the Parliament building is a brilliant one. This should not be used to create an agenda.”
He stated that the inauguration should be greeted with “open arms” and that boycotting the event would be disrespectful to the Prime Minister.
“As a spokesperson of the party, I believe the inauguration should be welcomed with open arms. After all, he is our Prime Minister. Disrespecting the Prime Minister is not right. We must respect the move. Earlier Prime Ministers including Rajiv Gandhi also inaugurated the building in the Parliament. This is not new”, said DPAP representative.