 "New Parliament")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will lead the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building on Sunday, May 28. The ceremony will be conducted in two phases, as reported by ANI.
The first phase is expected to end by 9:30 am and the second phase will start after a break around 12 pm.
According to the report released on Friday, the first phase will commence in the morning with rituals held in a canopy near the Gandhi statue in Parliament.
PM Modi, Speaker Om Birla, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Hariwansh, and other senior ministers are expected to be part of this phase and inspect the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers in the new building after the rituals.
The sacred 'Sengol', that has been the cause of some controversy regarding its documentation, will be installed in the Lok Sabha chamber, in a glass case, next to the Speaker's chair. This will be accompanied by rituals conducted by priests from Tamil Nadu.
A prayer ceremony will also take place on the premises of the new parliament building, concluding the first phase.
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The second phase of the ceremony will commence at noon in the Lok Sabha chamber, with the singing of the national anthem in the presence of all dignitaries.
The Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Hariwansh will deliver a speech during this phase and read a congratulatory message on behalf of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar. A written message from President Droupadi Murmu will also be read out.
Additionally, short audio-video films highlighting the construction process and the significance of the new parliament building will be showcased.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will also address the gathering. A slot has been kept for the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, although it is unlikely that Mallikarjun Kharge will attend due to the Opposition's boycott.
PM Modi will release a coin and stamp to commemorate the occasion and deliver a speech. The Secretary-General of Lok Sabha will then deliver the Vote of Thanks, marking the conclusion of the ceremony.
Despite the opposition's boycott, a confirmed list of 25 political parties, including some outside the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), have confirmed their participation in the inauguration. Several NDA parties, neutral parties, as well as Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), and Janata Dal-Secular from the Opposition, are expected to attend.
Invitations for the ceremony have been extended to sitting Members of Parliament, former Lok Sabha Speakers and Rajya Sabha Chairmen, chief ministers, government ministry secretaries, the chief architect of the new building Bimal Patel, and industrialist Ratan Tata, among others.
The new parliament building is meant to represent the spirit of a self-reliant India (Aatmanirbhar Bharat) and address the space and functional requirements that were lacking in the previous building.
It will accommodate 888 members in the Lok Sabha, an increase from the current provision of 543 members, and 384 members in the Rajya Sabha. The construction of the new building has been completed, incorporating facilities to enhance the efficiency of parliamentary functions and uphold democratic traditions and constitutional values.
