Assam CM terms boycott a drama, SAD,BJD to attend inaugural function

Amid the controversy over the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday said that it will attend the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28 after 19 opposition parties announced that they would be boycotting the event. "The inauguration of the new Parliament building is a matter of pride for the country, so we have decided that the SAD party will attend the inauguration ceremony on 28th May. We do not agree with the issues raised by opposition parties," said SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema.

Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reminded the opposition parties that no governor or President had been invited by non-BJP governments for laying the foundation stones of or inaugurating new legislative assembly buildings in the last nine years. The chief minister listed five instances where either the chief minister or the party president and not the governor was invited to do the honours.

In the last 9 years - 5 non-BJP / Opposition state governments either laid foundation stones or inaugurated a new Legislative Assembly building .

All were done by either the Chief Minister or the Party President. In not a single instance was the Governor or President invited. pic.twitter.com/LjP9zjlLGg

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 24, 2023

Speaking to reporters, Sarma said, "The boycott is obvious. They opposed the construction of Parliament House. They never thought that the construction will be completed so soon. So, everything has happened like a bouncer for the Opposition."

#WATCH | Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says, "The boycott is obvious. They opposed the construction of Parliament House. They never thought that the construction will be completed so soon. So, everything has happened like a bouncer for the Opposition. Just to save their face, they… https://t.co/D4fY0PPi7Q pic.twitter.com/45WuQmZOUy

— ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2023

According to the opposition parties, President Droupadi Murmu (head of the state) and not PM Narendra Modi (head of the government), should perform the inauguration. The opposition parties including the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiv Sena (UBT), the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Janata Dal (United) issued a joint statement on the same.