Name new Parliament 'Savarkar Sadan', call Central Hall 'Maafi Kaksh': Gandhi's great-grandson

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28, the birth anniversary of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar. The decision has invited flak from various corners and one among them is Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi.

“He should name the building ‘Savarkar Sadan’ and the Central Hall as ‘Maafi Kaksh’,” tweeted Tushar Gandhi. The reference to 'Maafi' (sorry) infers to the alleged mercy petitions written by Savarkar to the British government from the Cellular Jail in the Andamans.

Opposition parties have called the move an 'insult'. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted: “A complete insult to all our Founding Fathers and Mothers. A total rejection of Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Bose, et al. A blatant repudiation of Dr Ambedkar.”

Ramesh was responding to TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray's tweet: "26 November 2023- Indian Constitution which gifted parliamentary democracy to the nation shall step into 75th year which would've been befitting for the inauguration of new Sansad Bhawan. But it shall be done on 28 May, birthday of Savarkar- How much relevant?"

RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha said, "Shouldn't the honorable @rashtrapatibhvn be inaugurating the new 'Sansad Bhavan'? I leave it at that...Jai Hind."

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi asked why should the prime minister inaugurate the Parliament building?

"He is head of the executive, not legislature. We have a separation of powers and Hon'ble Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chair could have inaugurated (it). It's made with public money, why is PM behaving like his 'friends' have sponsored it from their private funds," Owaisi said on Twitter.

Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore reiterated the party's allegation that its members were not allowed to speak in Parliament and their microphones were switched off.

"We need to understand that the Parliament is not just about bricks, cement and steel. It is also about the voices of people who are voiceless. It's not about chairs, space, it is not about the facilities. It is about the right of the opposition members to speak," he said.

"Will the mikes be on in the new Parliament, that is the question we have to ask. We hope that the prime minister realises that Parliament is the temple of democracy and it means that we should allow the opposition to speak and the mikes should also be on," Tagore said in a video message.

The new Parliament building can comfortably seat 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 300 in the Rajya Sabha chamber, according to the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

In the case of a joint sitting of both Houses, a total of 1,280 members can be accommodated in the Lok Sabha chamber. The prime minister laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building on December 10, 2020.
(With PTI inputs)