From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Congress President and Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday expressed surprise and shock over no invitation to President Droupadi Murmu to the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Modi on Sunday.
In a series of tweets, he said: “The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative budy 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.” Instead of requesting her, Lok Sabha Speaker, however, urged the Prime Minister to inaugurate the Parliament building.
Kharge pointed out that then President Kovind was also not invited for the new Praliament foundation laying ceremony.
“It looks like the Modi Govt has ensured election of President of India from the Dalit and the Tribal community only for electoral reasons,” he added.
“The Modi govt has repeatedly disrespected propriety. The office of the President of India is reduced to tokenism, under the BJP-RSS government,” Kharge said.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is the custodian of Parliament and the invitations go out from him. There is no word from his office contradicting Kharge’s claim of no invite to the President of India. There is no clarity as to who all will be allowed to attend the inauguration on Sunday. “We still do not have orders on the invitations to be issued or whom to invite,” a Lok Sabha official said.
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