Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the newly-constructed Parliament building on May 28, the Lok Sabha secretariat confirmed after Speaker Om Birla met the PM and extended an invitation to him.

The day coincides with the 140th birth anniversary of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, a subject of much debate and criticism politically. While the BJP and even Opposition parties in Maharashtra eulogise him, the Congress has been openly critical of Savarkar’s ideology and the ruling party’s affinity to it.

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Born on May 28, 1883, in Bhagur village near Nashik in Maharashtra, Savarkar, a freedom fighter, was the president of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943 and founded a secret organisation called Abhinav Bharat Society.

While the Congress party has come down heavily on the Prime Minister over the expenses incurred in the construction of the new Parliament building, it is yet to react to the irony in the date of inauguration.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communication, Jairam Ramesh tweeted a picture of the Prime Minister inspecting the new Parliament building, a project he termed as his “personal vanity project”.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore also took a swipe at the government and wondered what use the new building would be if the Opposition isn’t allowed to speak in parliament.

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As per the Lok Sabha secretariat, the new Parliament building can comfortably seat 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 300 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 foundation of the new Parliament building was laid by the Prime Minister on December 10, 2020. The new building has been built in record time with quality construction, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.

The new Parliament building will replace the iconic 1927 building which was found to be “inadequate for present day requirements”, the statement said, adding that Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had passed resolutions urging the government to construct a new building for the Parliament.