Then the Viceroy inaugurated the Parliament House
The present or say the old Parliament House was inaugurated on January 18, 1927. The question is- who was the inaugurate then? It is known that then India was under British rule. That’s why there was no President and Prime Minister. The British government used to rule us through the Viceroy. Lord Irwin was the Viceroy of India from 1926 to 1931. For this reason, he got the good fortune of inaugurating the Parliament House in India. The present Parliament House was inaugurated by Lord Irwin on January 18, 1927. Then it was called ‘House of Parliament’. The Legislative Council of the British Government used to work in this House of Parliament.
Two floors added in 1956
British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker designed the Parliament House. The unique circular shape of the Chausath Yogini Temple at Morena in Madhya Pradesh is believed to have inspired the design of the Parishad Bhawan, though there is no historical evidence for the same. At that time, 83 lakh rupees were spent in getting the Parliament House ready. The Parliament House was built in 566 meters in diameter, but later, when more space was needed, two more floors were added to the Parliament House in the year 1956. Did you know this ‘secret’? Well, then in the year 2006 the Parliament Museum was built which showcases 2,500 years of India’s rich democratic heritage.
New Parliament House built at a cost of 1,200 crores
Now it’s about the new parliament building. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building on December 10, 2020. The foundation stone laying ceremony was attended by leaders of various political parties, cabinet ministers and ambassadors of various countries. The area of the new parliament is 64,500 square meters. The new Parliament House was built by Tata Projects Limited. Its designing has been prepared by HCP Designs, an architecture firm based in Gujarat. HCP Design has prior experience in projects like Central Vista and State Secretariat in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Sabarmati Riverfront Development in Ahmedabad, Mumbai Port Complex, Redevelopment of Mandir Complex in Varanasi, New Campus Development of IIM Ahmedabad. It is said to have cost Rs 1,200 crore.
attention to future needs
The old Parliament House has 543 seats for the Lok Sabha and 250 seats for the Rajya Sabha while the new building has 888 and 300 seats for the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha respectively. The Central Hall of the old building is used for the joint session of the Parliament, but during the joint session in the new building, the Rajya Sabha MPs will also come to the Lok Sabha. Then there will be a seating arrangement for 1,280 MPs in the Lok Sabha. The new Parliament House has four storeys while the old Parliament House has three storeys.
head of executive vs head of legislature
However, apart from who should inaugurate it, there is also a dispute about the date. May 28, 2023 is the 150th birth anniversary of Swatantrya Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar or Veer Savarkar. Savarkar is the ideological inspiration behind the BJP, the ruling party at the centre. Two days ago, on May 26, 2023, nine years of the Modi government would be completed. On May 26, 2014, Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister for the first time. The Prime Minister is the head of the executive. The President is the head of the legislature. Rather, the Parliament itself is made up of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and the President. Citing this, the opponents are demanding the inauguration of the new Parliament House from the President instead of the PM.