Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
Credit: PTI Photo
Finding fault with the architecture of the new Parliament which “should be called Modi Multiplex or Modi Marriott”, senior Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said a “better use” of the new building will be “found after regime change in 2024”.
His remarks invited sharp reactions from the ruling BJP with Union Minister Giriraj Singh demanding that “dynastic dens” be assessed and as a first step, the Indira Gandhi memorial, where the former Prime Minister was assassinated, on Safdarjung Road be transferred back to the government.
BJP president J P Nadda called Ramesh’s remarks a “pathetic mindset” and “nothing but an insult” to the aspirations of 140 crore Indians. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said it was an “expression of the despair of a dynasty and its nobles over the loss of what they considered to be a fief”.
MPs functioned from the new Parliament for the first time during the four-day Special Session that started on September 18.
Ramesh, the Congress Chief Whip in Rajya Sabha and General Secretary (Communications), sought to compare the new building and the old one on the basis of functionality and said, if architecture can kill democracy, Modi has already succeeded even without rewriting the Constitution.
“The new Parliament building launched with so much hype actually realises the PM's objectives very well. It should be called the Modi Multiplex or Modi Marriot. After four days, what I saw was the death of confabulations and conversations – both inside the two Houses and in the lobbies...Binoculars are needed to see each other since the halls are simply not cosy or compact,” he wrote on 'X'.
Ramesh also claimed he heard from the staff in the Parliament Secretariats that the design of the new building has not considered the various functionalities required to help them do their work.
“This is what happens when no consultations are done with the people who will use the building. Perhaps a better use for the new Parliament building will be found after regime change in 2024,” he said.
The old building gave one a sense of space and openness while the new one is almost claustrophobic, he said, adding that the joy of simply hanging out in Parliament has disappeared.
“I used to look forward to going to the old building. The new complex is painful and agonising. I am sure many of my colleagues across party lines feel the same,” he said.
He said the old Parliament building not only had a certain aura but it facilitated conversations.
“It was easy to walk between Houses, the Central Hall, and the corridors. This new one weakens the bonding needed to make the running of Parliament a success. Quick coordination between the two Houses is now exceedingly cumbersome. In the old building, if you were lost, you would find your way back again since it was circular. In the new building, if you lose your way, you are lost in a maze,” he said.
However, this did not go well with the BJP. Singh responded to Ramesh on 'X', “I demand that the Dynastic Dens all over India need to be assessed and rationalised. For starters, the 1, Safdarjung Road complex be immediately transferred back to the Government of India considering all Prime Ministers have their space at the Prime Minister's Museum now.”
BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP JP Nadda also joined in saying, even by the “lowest standards" of the Congress, this is “pathetic mindset” and “nothing but an insult” to the aspirations of 140 crore Indians. “In any case, this isn’t the first time Congress is anti-Parliament. They tried in 1975 and it failed miserably,” he said.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also targeted Ramesh saying his agony is an "expression of the despair of a dynasty and its nobles over the loss of what they considered to be a fief".
“It was only the other day that his leader in the Lok Sabha had said former Speaker Meira Kumar had emphasised that the old building of Parliament was inadequate and not in a shape to fulfil the needs of the two Houses,” he said.
“Now, Jairam Ramesh-ji, on the instructions of his bosses, is playing a different tune. The grand new Parliament building is a symbol of the aspirations of a resurgent India and will serve as the home to women lawmakers who will join Parliament after implementation of women's reservation propelled by PM Modi-ji,” he added.