New Delhi: “The new building of Parliament will become a place that will work to ensure happiness in the lives of the countrymen and the welfare of the people,” — PM Modi.
The Indian Parliament as a structure during the British period was also called the Council House. Sir Christopher Wren had said, “The architecture has its political uses; it establishes a nation’.
The ancient civilisation and one of the oldest oriental nations is now ‘New India’. As envisioned by PM Modi, it discards the ‘dogma’ of past liabilities and mistakes. Hence, it was apt that the country should have entirely new Parliament premises.
“It was felt prudent to take up the construction of the new Parliament building,” says a booklet published by Lok Sabha Secretariat.
The proposal for the new Parliament Building was simultaneously made by the then Vice-President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, M Venkaiah Naidu and Speaker of Lok Sabha Om Birla, on August 5 2019, in the Rajya Sabha and in the Lok Sabha, respectively, with a request to the Hon’ble Prime Minister for a modern and hi-tech new Parliament Building.
Resolutions were passed in both Houses of Parliament to complete the “cherished dream” of the members to sit in a completely transformed and modern Parliament by 2022. This was to coincide with the 75th years of Independence and India’s celebration of the 75th Year of Independence. Among other key facets, a 40-member panel also had also maintained that “the artisans and sculptors from all over the country may contribute and showcase India’s diversity in the new building”.
The foundation stone of the new building of Parliament was laid by PM Modi on December 10, 2020.
The General Purposes Committee is headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The panel also said that: “The new Parliament Building should reflect Indian culture and ethos. Furniture, panels, construction materials to be used in the new building, especially inside the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, should give a traditional Indian look, in line with the rich history of Parliament”.
There was also adequate emphasis laid upon ensuring that “Vedic Mantras should be inscribed on the walls of the new Parliament Building, as it exists in the present one”.
The new Parliament Building has accomplished its targets. It may be worthwhile to recall the wise words of former President Ram Nath Kovind, who had said — “In the process (of the grand construction), the past will not be discarded; the heritage, if anything, will have a better chance of conservation”.
For his part, PM Modi had said, – “The launch of the construction of the Parliament House of India, with the idea of Indianness by Indians, is one of the most important milestones of our democratic traditions”.
“The new Building of the Parliament will adorn fine art, culture and diversity from across the country and will be an inspiration for all our countrymen,” Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had said.
The Prime Minister, on one occasion, aptly drove home the essential point that – “If the old Parliament House gave direction to post-Independence India, the new building would become a witness to the making of ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’. If the old Parliament House worked to fulfil the needs of the country, then the aspirations of 21st century India will be fulfilled in the new building”.
He further stated, “The new building of Parliament will establish its identity in the same way the National War Memorial near India Gate has done today. The same way the National War Memorial near India Gate has done today.”
In a speech delivered on December 10, 2020, on the occasion of launching the construction of the new Parliament building, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also stated that the Anubhava Mantapa by Lord Basaveshwara had come into existence in the 12th century much before Magna Carta.
The Anubhava Mantapa was a form of democracy. It was an assembly which inspired everybody to work collectively in the interest of the State and the nation and for its advancement.
The Prime Minister also said that — Democracy has always remained as the soul of India. But he hastened to add, “And, ironically, today, India’s democracy is explained to us by the Western countries. When we glorify our democratic history with confidence, the day is not far away when the world will also say: India is the Mother of Democracy.”.
This will be a true achievement of the New Parliament Building in more ways than one.
Finally, D-Day is not far off. PM Modi will dedicate the newly constructed Parliament building to the nation on May 28.
“Fulfilling the hopes and expectations of more than 140 crore countrymen, the newly constructed building of the Parliament will also become a powerful medium to achieve our resolution of building a developed India by the year 2047,” Speaker Om Birla tweeted in Hindi.
“The newly constructed building of Parliament will further enrich India’s glorious democratic traditions and constitutional values. In this building, the honourable members will be able to better perform their duties towards the country and the citizens,” he said.
The present building of the Parliament was completed in 1927 and is now going to be almost 100 years old.
In the new building, 888 members will be able to sit in the Lok Sabha.
Keeping in view the future requirements, arrangements have been made for a meeting of 888 members in the Lok Sabha and 384 members in the Rajya Sabha in the newly constructed building. The joint session of both Houses will be held in the Lok Sabha Chamber.
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