The Congress and the BJP on Tuesday entered into a war of words over the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri claiming that the Opposition party was "generously misquoting" the Constitution.
Puri's comments came after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leaders like Manish Tiwari and Shashi Tharoor, among others, quoted the Constitution and said the Parliament comprises the President too and she should inaugurate the new building.
In a series of tweets, Puri said, "From criticising the New Parliament Building & questioning its very necessity despite many of them advocating for it before but not executing it, Congress President and other worthies are now shifting the goalpost by generously misquoting an article a day from the Constitution!"
Responding to Puri, Tiwari tweeted, "Article 79 -- Constitution of Parliament -- There shall be a Parliament for the Union which shall consist of the President and two Houses to be known respectively as the council of States and the House of the People. If I am misquoting, then Hardeep Puri is reading a different Constitution." He also said Ministers of the Union must read the Constitution of India very carefully.
Criticising Kharge's comments that the ruling BJP elects tribals and Dalits only for electoral reasons, Puri said, "after uncharitable comments about the President in the past by its leaders, Congress president now makes uncalled for and gratuitous comments on her election! Tragic that Congress claiming to be a national party lacks any national spirit and sense of pride in India’s progress."
He asked why cannot the Congress join the nation in celebrating "this creation of a valuable asset for posterity, as the New India’s temple of the mother of all democracies and jettison the prolonged sulk & indulgence in partisan polemics based on falsehoods".
He also recalled that Indira Gandhi inaugurated the Parliament Annexe on October 24, 1975 and Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation stone for Parliament Library 15 August, 1987. "So, instead of now finding articles to justify their hypocrisy why can’t they just smile and join India on this momentous achievement and her march to greatness!"
On Monday night, he tweeted, "Congress has a habit of raking controversies where none exist. While the President is the Head of State, PM is the Head of Govt and leads the Parliament on behalf of the Govt, whose Policies are affected in form of Laws. The President is not a Member of either House, whereas the PM is."
Tharoor had tweeted that Kharge was right and Article 60 and 111 of the Constitution of India make it clear that the President is the head of Parliament. It was bizarre enough that the PM performed the ground-breaking ceremony & puja when construction began, but totally incomprehensible (& arguably unconstitutional) for him and not the President to inaugurate the building.