India now has a new parliament building that is spacious and state of the art, in line with the requirements of the future. It will also be free of the baggage of an imperial past. An already aggravated opposition that boycotted the inauguration ostensibly because President Murmu was not asked to do the honours, is now describing the event as a ‘coronation’ and comparing the structure to a coffin. Hopefully, the heartburn will disappear once they experience the modern facilities, the comfort of spacious seating arrangements, an unobstructed view of the goings-on, the paper-less technology, etc. They may be vexed somewhat by the fact that the Speaker will be out of reach when it comes to holding protests and throwing papers at the Chair, but they will surely devise new ways to disrupt proceedings.
Some parties like the SP and the Communists are dismayed that ‘radical Brahmins’ from the South were invited to the Sengol installation ceremony, damaging what seems to them India’s fragile secularism. For as long as the Sengol remains in place, it will prove a thorn in their sides, provoking endless debates on how religion is to be eliminated from India’s culture. There may be dissenting opinion like that of MP Shashi Tharoor, who feels the sceptre’s presence in Parliament symbolises that sovereignty lies with the people and not any person, but that cannot be allowed to get in the way of politics.
Having had the new building constructed in record time despite a wide range of arguments against it, Prime Minister Modi now wants it to be another inspiring symbol of India’s march towards its rightful place among the developed nations of the world. As he prepares for the combing electoral battles, particularly the one in 2024, he is building on his vision of India’s destiny and a self-confident cultural nationalism. He would like Indians to question why self-confident assertion of identity is considered majoritarianism and a threat to the idea of India. The verdict will be sought at the polls.
The events of the day need not have been as they were. The opposition could have been gracious and allowed Modi to have his day. It was a once in a lifetime event that should not have been missed. After all, there is no shortage of issues to play politics with – one was offered with the arrest of wrestlers seeking to march on Parliament on the very day of the inauguration.
