Union Minister vs Congress Leader Over New Parliament Building

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday accused Congress leader Jairam Ramesh of insulting the people of the country by criticising the new Parliament building.

"Jairam Ramesh, your party's antics are fooling no one. You do not like that we have built our own Temple of Democracy. Your party sees a world-class architecture, built in a record time and is perhaps reminded that your party has done nothing for India in all the decades of your rule," Mr Joshi said on X.

He was responding to Mr Ramesh's criticism a day before that the new Parliament building's architecture has killed democracy and conversations. The Congress leader had derisively said that the building should be called a "Modi Multiplex or Modi Marriot".

Hitting back, the BJP leader said the opposition party should introspect instead of venting its "frustration" like this.

"What you did while in power and now as Opposition are hollow rants and cribs. What we did is for the world to see and appreciate.

"Maybe you should not vent out your frustrations like this and introspect why the public keeps rejecting you and your petty politics," Mr Joshi said.

Mr Ramesh had himself said once that a new Parliament building is badly needed as the old one was not simply functional and outdated, he claimed.

Even the then Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar gave approval for setting up a high-powered committee to suggest an alternative complex and several other MPs also supported this, he said.

"It is appalling how Jairam Ramesh is insulting the people of the country by talking down about Parliament. Why is the new, magnificent Parliament building that is a fitting symbol of New India's aspirations an eyesore to the Opposition? "Why does the success of Aatmanirbhar Bharat trouble these people," Mr Joshi asked.

Despite expressing opinions themselves in the past about the need for a new Parliament building, why do a few people choose to politicise every issue, he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)