PM Narendra Modi inaugurates the new Parliament building

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building here on Sunday morning and installed the historic Sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber. A multi-faith prayer was also held to mark the occasion.

Dressed in traditional attire, Modi walked into Parliament premises from its Gate No. 1 and was welcomed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Amid Vedic chants by priests from Karnataka's Shringeri Math, the prime minister performed "Ganapati Homam" to invoke Gods to bless the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

The prime minister prostrated before the Sengol and sought blessings from high priests of various adheenams in Tamil Nadu with the holy sceptre in hand.

Modi then carried the Sengol in a procession amid tunes of "nadaswaram" and chanting of Vedic mantras to the new Parliament building and installed it in a special enclosure on the right side of the Speaker's chair in the Lok Sabha chamber.

Several Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mansukh Mandaviya and Jitendra Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP president J P Nadda among other leaders were present on the occasion.

The prime minister felicitated with shawls and souvenirs some workers who played key roles in the construction of the new Parliament building.

The prime minister along with the Speaker and some other dignitaries later went to the old Parliament House.

The events to mark the inauguration are being held amid a boycott by several Opposition parties which insist that President Droupadi Murmu as head of the state should do the honour

Soon after inaugurating the new Parliament building, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hoped that the iconic building becomes a cradle of empowerment, igniting dreams and nurturing them into reality. May it propel our great nation to new heights of progress, he said.

"As the new building of India’s Parliament is inaugurated, our hearts and minds are filled with pride, hope and promise. May this iconic building be a cradle of empowerment, igniting dreams and nurturing them into reality. May it propel our great nation to new heights of progress," the prime minister tweeted.

He also shared pictures of the inaugural event held this morning.

Inputs from PTI