Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday unveiled the national emblem cast on the roof of the new building. Made of bronze, weighing 9,500 kg and standing 6. 5 metres tall, the emblem is at the top of the central foyer of the building. It is supported by a 6,500 kg steel structure. Official sources said that the concept sketch and process of casting of the emblem went through eight different stages from clay modelling and computer graphics to bronze casting and polishing.
Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh, urban development minister Hardeep Singh Puri and parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi were present at the inauguration ceremony. The Prime Minister participated in a puja before unveiling the statue. Modi also interacted with workers involved in the building’s construction and told them that they should feel proud of their work
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Opposition questions religious ceremony
The unveiling of the national emblem triggered a war of words between the government and opposition parties, which not only protested being kept away from the occasion but also questioned why a religious ceremony of one faith was performed when the Constitution “clearly stipulates that the State does not profess or practice any faith or religion”.
Contesting AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi’s remarks that the PM should not have unveiled the emblem and it should have been left to the Lok Sabha speaker, BJP chief spokesperson Anil Baluni said that Owaisi as a legal expert should have known the administrative process before making such “irresponsible” statement. CPM alleged that the PM unveiling the emblem amounted to a “subversion” of the constitutional separation of powers. It also criticised the puja organised on the occasion. Congress said the decision to keep the opposition out of an event to celebrate the national emblem was problematic and “totally wrong”.
