Saudi Arabia urges stronger global action to protect children in cyberspace at UN    911 emergency centers handle over 2.8 million calls in March    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Saudi Arabia posts SR49.8 billion travel surplus in 2024 as visitor spending hits SR153.6 billion    World leaders call Trump tariffs 'wrong' and 'unjustified'    Israel announces expansion of military operation in Gaza to seize 'large areas' of land    US cancels visa of Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias    Danish prime minister refutes US claim on Greenland on visit to the Arctic territory    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Cristiano Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves    Saudi Arabia welcomes trilateral border treaty between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Boycott calls cast shadow on India parliament opening
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 25 - 05 - 2023

India's new parliament is set to be inaugurated this weekend amid a political row as 19 opposition parties say they will boycott the ceremony.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the building on Sunday.
But opposition leaders say India's president, the highest constitutional authority, should open the building.
Leaders of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have accused the opposition of "playing political games".
On Wednesday, 19 parties - including the main opposition Congress - issued a statement announcing their "collective decision" to boycott the inauguration ceremony.
They said that while the opening was "a momentous occasion", Mr Modi's "decision to inaugurate the building by himself" was "a grave insult [and] a "direct assault" on India's democracy.
The statement also mentioned that opposition MPs had been "disqualified, suspended and muted" while "controversial legislations" were passed with little debate.
"When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from the parliament, we find no value in a new building," the parties added.
India's Home Minister Amit Shah said that all political parties had been invited for the ceremony, and asked the opposition to not politicise the event.
"The government has requested all to be present. Everyone will act according to their own feelings," he said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Relations between the governing BJP and most opposition parties are strained, often leading to an impasse during parliament sessions. Recently, opposition leaders protested after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from parliament after he was sentenced to jail in a defamation case.
Leaders from the governing National Democratic Alliance, led by the BJP, criticised the opposition statement, calling it "an egregious insult to our democracy and to their elected representatives". They also asked the opposition to "think about the nation and not individual political gains".
Opposition leaders have also criticised the government's choice of date for the ceremony, which coincides with the birth anniversary of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar.
Not all opposition parties are on the same page on the matter - some regional parties such as the Biju Janata Dal and the YSR Congress Party will attend the ceremony.
The new parliament building - which is part of the government's ambitious project to develop the Central Vista power corridor in capital Delhi - has been steeped in controversy from the outset.
Many opposition politicians, environmentalists and civil society groups had criticised the project for its high cost, and alleged that the government had not consulted other lawmakers and the public. They had also questioned the government's decision to build a new parliament building instead of upgrading the old one.
The government, however, said that the new parliament was necessary as the older building was "showing signs of distress and over utilization".
The new building - designed by HCP Design, Planning and Management and constructed by Tata Projects - has increased seating capacity and is built at an estimated cost of 9.7bn rupees ($117.1m, £94.2m).
In 2020, the Congress had also boycotted the foundation stone-laying event of the new parliament, criticising the government for holding it at a time when farmers were protesting against three controversial new laws.
The current row has generated plenty of debate in India, with some commentators saying it reflects a fractious milieu where the governing party and the opposition are unable to reach an agreement on most issues.
The Indian Express newspaper argued, in an editorial, that while the opposition had genuine grievances, it had to find a way to rise above them to mark this historic moment.
"It cannot be - it should not be - that when coming generations look at this diverse nation's photo album, they see a parliament that is bare and monochromatic because 19 parties could not rise above their grievance, legitimate though it may have been, to embrace the larger occasion," it said. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.