Lok Sabha proceedings begin in new Parliament building
New Delhi(PTI): Lok Sabha proceedings on Tuesday began in the new Parliament building, located adjacent to the old one, starting a new chapter in the parliamentary history of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who walked down from the old building along with Union Ministers including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and other leaders, was present on the occasion.
Initiating the first day of the proceedings, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged on members to set a new standard of parliamentary debate by raising people's issues, as he extended greetings of Ganesh Chaturthi, and called the move to the new parliament house a historic event.
Birla also paid his tributes to leaders who built the nation and gave India its own constitution. The new parliament building boasts of a palette of colours and architecture that takes its cue from everything Indian, from ancient to medieval.
The colour used in Rajya Sabha has been inspired by the shade of kokum red, while the look of Lok Sabha is based on Indian agave green with inspirations from the plumes of the Indian peacock.
The new Parliament building, inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on May 28, has artwork narrating India's democratic traditions from the Vedic period to the present day.
The journey of democracy in the country is depicted through a series of exhibits in the Constitution Hall in the new Parliament building, which itself is inspired by the Sri Yantra, used for worship by many Hindus and considered a source of energy.
The building has three ceremonial foyers where huge brass images of Mahatma Gandhi, Chanakya, Gargi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, B R Ambedkar, and the Chariot Wheel from the Sun Temple at Konark are on display.
The public entrances lead to three galleries -- the Sangeet Gallery which exhibits dance, song, and musical traditions of India, the Sthapthya Gallery which depicts the architectural heritage of the country, and the Shilp Gallery which showcases handicraft traditions of different states.
The interiors of the Lok Sabha chamber are based on the theme of peacock, our national bird, while that of the Rajya Sabha takes it hues from lotus, the national flower.
The four-storey Parliament House has a built up area of 64,500 sqm and has two chambers - an 888-seater Lok Sabha, which can accommodate 1,272 members for the joint sitting of both the Houses, and a 384-seater Rajya Sabha chamber.
The building opens into a central courtyard with a banyan tree. The new building also has six new committee rooms and 92 rooms for use as offices for the Council of Ministers.
There are six entry-exit points or 'dwars' in the new Parliament building, all inspired by ancient sculptures.
The Gaj Dwar has two stone elephant statues that have been inspired by statues at Madhukeshwara temple in Banavasi in Karnataka dating back to 9th century CE, while two horse statues at the Ashwa Dwar have got their inspiration from sculptures at 13th century Sun temple in Odisha.
The statues at three other dwars - Shardula, Hamsa, and Makara - are inspired by sculptures at Gujri Mahal in Gwalior, Vijay Vithala temple in Hampi, and Hoysaleswara temple in Karnataka.
The remaining Garuda dwar has as its sentinel the statues of mount (vahana) of Vishnu and have been inspired by 18th century CE Nayaka period sculpture from Tamil Nadu.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
