The government and opposition have been trading barbs over the inauguration of India’s new parliament building.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate it on on 28 May.
Opposition leaders have accused the government of “constitutional impropriety” by not requesting the president to open the building.
They have also criticised the government’s choice of date which is also the birth anniversary of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar.
Opposition parties consider Savarkar as a divisive figure, while the ruling BJP hails him as a hero.
Leaders from opposition parties said the choice of the inauguration date was an “insult” to India’s founding fathers.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh criticised the government’s decision to inaugurate the new parliament building “on the birth anniversary of the man who opposed Mahatma Gandhi vehemently all his life”.
The BJP has defended the decision, saying the new building was a matter of pride for Indians.
Source : BBC
