Linking the new Parliament building with the destiny of 140 crore Indians, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday that the new structure was a reflection of the aspirations and dreams of 140 crore Indians and a message to the world about India’s determination. He said the new building will see the dawn of a self-reliant India and witness its journey towards a developed nation.
“This new Bhawan would see the attainment of the resolve of a developed India,” the Prime Minister said in his first address from the new Parliament building which he dedicated to the nation. The new building, he said, will give fresh energy and strength to the world’s largest democracy.
“This is a message to the world about India’s determination. This new Bhawan will witness the dawn of a self-reliant India… It will be a witness to our journey towards a developed India…This new Bhawan would see the attainment of the resolve of a developed India… This new Parliament building connects planning to reality, policy to realisation, will power to execution, and sankalp to siddhi,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after installing the ‘Sengol’ at the inauguration of the new Parliament building, in New Delhi, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (PTI Photo)
“Every decision taken here will adorn and enrich our future generations, empower the coming generations… Every decision which will be taken here will become the basis for India’s bright future…the path of empowerment of poor, Dalit, backwards, tribals, differently abled, and every deprived family of our society passes through here… Every brick, every wall… Iska har kan kan (each particle) is dedicated to the welfare of the poor,” PM Modi said.
“Every law which will be made in this new Parliament building in the next 25 years will transform India into a developed nation…every law will help India come out of poverty, create new opportunities for the youth and the women…I am confident that the new Parliament building will become the basis for the creation of a new India…a prosperous, strong and developed India,” he said.
“This is an India that walks the path of policy, justice, truth, dignity and duty and becomes stronger,” PM Modi added.
Addressing the gathering which included former President Ram Nath Kovind, several chief ministers and Union ministers, the Prime Minister said there are few moments in every nation’s history that are immortalised. “Some dates become the immortal signature on the face of time…today… May 28, 2023 is one such day,” he said.
From left, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla unveil coins marking the inauguration of the new parliament building, in New Delhi, India, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo)
Explaining that “new models can be established only by treading new paths”, he said new India is realising new goals and charting out new paths. “There is a new energy, new zeal, new enthusiasm, new thinking and a new journey. There are new visions, new directions, new resolutions and a new trust,” he said.
PM Modi also spoke about the achievements of his government over the last nine years, virtually setting the tone for the BJP’s 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign. He spoke about the 4 crore new houses built for the poor, the construction of 11 crore toilets and more than 4 lakh kilometres of roads to connect villages. He said more than 50,000 water bodies had been constructed over the last nine years.
Pointing out that more than 30,000 new panchayat bhawans were built in the last nine years, he said, “From Panchayat Bhawans to Parliament, only one inspiration guided us – the development of the nation and its people.”
“When a country like India, full of diversity, with a huge population that tackles various challenges, moves forward with a belief, it inspires many countries of the world. Every achievement of India is going to become an achievement for different countries in different parts of the world in the coming days,” he said.
Twenty Opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, AAP, DMK and Left parties, boycotted Sunday’s event, saying that PM Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining the President, is a “grave insult” and “direct assault on our democracy”.
