Akhilesh Yadav echoes Rahul Gandhi's position on new Parliament building inauguration

After Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has now called for the new parliament building to be inaugurated by the President instead of the Prime Minister. The newly-constructed Parliament building is scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28, on the birth anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

The new Parliament building has been a subject of intense political debate ever since its announcement. Opposition leaders initially opposed the construction of the building and have now chosen to politicise the inauguration.  

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said earlier, "The President should inaugurate the new Parliament building, not the Prime Minister." 

नए संसद भवन का उद्घाटन राष्ट्रपति जी को ही करना चाहिए, प्रधानमंत्री को नहीं!

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi)

The Congress and Samajwadi Party pitch faced a sharp reaction from the BJP. Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Why politicise the new Parliament building. Congress must show a big heart." Prasad also praised PM Modi for the building. The foundation stone of the new Parliament building was laid on December 10, 2020.   

Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met Prime Minister Modi and invited him to inaugurate the new building. The inaugural event also marks nine years of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. 

The current Parliament is nearly 96 years old. It was constructed in 1927. 

Akhilesh Yadav echoing Rahul Gandhi's remarks comes after the Samajwadi Party chief decided to give the recently-held swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar in Karnataka.