New Delhi: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday joined a series of opposition parties and announced to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28. Nitish Kumar's JD(U), Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are among the other opposition parties that have announced to boycott the inauguration.


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"We have decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building... Not asking the President to inaugurate the building is an insult to her," RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav told reporters.

Earlier in the day, RJD MP Manoj Jha said that as per the Constitutional system, the President should do the inauguration.


"This would have been as per the tradition of the Parliament system. But the Prime Minister does not listen to anyone," he said.

He added that all the opposition parties have decided to give a message to the government that even if history is written after 20-25 years, people will still know that opposition parties had boycotted the inauguration keeping in mind that the Constitution is supreme.


On Monday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had raised an objection to President Murmu not being invited for the inauguration of the new Parliament Building, saying the Parliament is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India, and the President of India is its highest Constitutional authority.


"It looks like the Modi government has ensured the election of President of India from the dalit and the tribal communities only for electoral reasons," he had charged.


The opposition parties had boycotted the ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the building by PM Modi in December 2020, citing concerns about its timing amid farmer protests, the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic distress due to a lockdown.


New Parliament can seat over 1,200 MPs


The new Parliament building can comfortably seat 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 384 in the Rajya Sabha chamber. 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 new building, constructed by Tata Projects Ltd, will also have a grand constitution hall to showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for MPs, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking space. The triangular-shaped four-storey building has a built-up area of 64,500 square meters.


The building has three main gates -- Gyan Dwar, Shakti Dwar, and Karma Dwar. It will have separate entrances for VIPs, MPs, and visitors.