The grand inauguration of the new Parliament building kicked off at 7.30 am today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha speaker performing a havan. Around 60 religious heads have been invited to the event.
After arriving at the new Parliament building, PM Modi paid his respects to the historical sceptre Sengol and then installed in the Lok Sabha chamber, right next to the Speaker’s chair, after performing puja. He was handed over the historic ‘Sengol’ by Adheenams.
.
Accompanied by the Lok Sabha Speaker, he also offered tributes to the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the complex.
The interior of the new Parliament building has three national symbols – the lotus, the peacock and the banyan tree – as its themes. The new Parliament building was built by Tata Projects Ltd.
Amid controversies and criticism by the Opposition, who wanted President Droupadi Murmu to inaugurate, the main ceremony will begin around noon. The deployment of thousands of police personnel can be seen in Lutyens’ Delhi and multiple layers of barricades as part of the tight security arrangement in and around the new Parliament building.