Every brick, every wall of new Parliament dedicated to welfare of the poor: Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the new Parliament House to the nation on Sunday. Earlier in the day, he installed the Sengol, with Nandi at the top, facing East-West direction in the new Parliament House.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said there are few moments in every nation’s history that are immortalised. Some dates become the immortal signature on the face of time and 28 May 2023 is one such day, he said.

“People of India have given themselves a gift for the Amrit Mahotsav. Every brick, every wall, every particle of this new Parliament House will be dedicated to the welfare of the poor,” he said.

Temple of democracy

The Prime Minister said the new Parliament is not merely a building but a reflection of the aspirations and dreams of 140 crore Indians. “This is a temple of our democracy that gives a message of India’s resolution to the world,” he said and added, “This new Parliament building connects planning to reality, policy to realisation, willpower to execution, and sankalp to siddhi.”

Mr. Modi said the Parliament will be a medium for realising the dreams of the freedom fighters and will witness the sunrise of Aatmnirbhar Bharat and see the realisation of a Viksit Bharat. The Prime Minister said the new building is an example of the coexistence of ancient and modern.

The Prime Minister underlined that the new Parliament House will invoke the development of the world from the development of India.

Sengol

Referring to the establishment of the sacred Sengol, the Prime Minister said in the great Chola empire, Sengol was seen as a symbol of the path of service, duty, and nation. He said under the guidance of Rajaji and Adheenam, this Sengol became the sacred symbol of the transfer of power.

“It is our good fortune that we could restore the dignity of this sacred Sengol. This Sengol will keep on inspiring us during the proceedings of the House,” he said.

Highlighting the inscriptions found in Tamil Nadu from 900 AD, the Prime Minister said that it surprises everyone even in today’s day and age. “Our democracy is our inspiration and our Constitution is our resolution,” Mr. Modi said as he noted that the biggest representative of this resolution is the Parliament of India.

21st century is filled with confidence

The Prime Minister recalled the golden period of India’s prosperity and architecture. He said India of the 21st century is filled with confidence. “This building has Virasat (heritage) as well as Vastu (Architecture), Kala (art) as well as kaushal (skill), sanskriti (culture) as well as notes of Samvidhan (Constitution),” he said.

He pointed out that the interiors of the Lok Sabha are themed on the national bird peacock and Rajya Sabha on the national flower lotus.

The Parliament premises have the national tree Banyan.

The new building incorporates the specialities of different parts of the country, he said, like granite from Rajasthan, timber from Maharashtra, and carpet by the Bhadhoi artisans. “We witness the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ in every particle of this building,” he said.

60,000 ‘shramiks’ got employment

The Prime Minister pointed out the difficulties faced by the Parliamentarians in getting work done in the old Parliament building and gave examples of challenges due to the lack of technical facilities and paucity of seats in the House. The need for a new Parliament, the Prime Minister said, was being discussed for decades and it was the need of the hour that a new Parliament should be developed.

Recalling his interactions with the ‘Shramiks’ who contributed to the construction of the new Parliament, the Prime Minister said 60,000 shramiks were given employment during the construction of the Parliament and a new gallery has been put up in the house highlighting their contributions.

“It is the first time that the contributions of the shramiks have been immortalised in the new Parliament,” the Prime Minister remarked.

Vision for next 25 years

In the next 25 years, the new laws made in the new Parliament House will make India a developed nation, help in pushing poverty out of India, and create new opportunities for the youth and women of the country, the Prime Minister said.

Concluding his address, Mr. Modi expressed confidence that the new Parliament building will become the basis for the creation of a new, prosperous, strong, and developed India.

Speaker of Lok Sabha Om Birla and Deputy Speaker of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh were present on the occasion among others.