New Delhi

The Congress on Wednesday said that 19 like-minded parties have decided to boycott the inauguration of new Parliament House by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28.

A joint statement said: "When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from the Parliament, we find no value in a new building. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

It also said that the inauguration of a new Parliament building is a momentous occasion. "Despite our belief that the government is threatening democracy, and our disapproval of the autocratic manner in which the new Parliament was built, we were open to sinking our differences and marking this occasion," it said.

"However, Prime Minister Modi's decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President Droupadi Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response," it added.

Referring to the Constitution's Article 79, the opposition parties said Murmu "is not only the Head of State but also an integral part of the Parliament.

"She summons, prorogues, and addresses the Parliament. She must assent for an Act of Parliament to take effect. In short, the Parliament cannot function without the President. Yet, the prime minister has decided to inaugurate the new Parliament building without her," the statement said.

The parties that signed this statement include the DMK and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party; the latter is an ally of the Congress in Maharashtra and the former in Tamil Nadu. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has reached out to opposition leaders, including Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, in efforts to unite them before the 2024 general election, is also a signatory.

Also on the list are the CPI and CPI(M), the Shiv Sena faction led by former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray (also a Congress ally), former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), and Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav (the Rashtriya Janata Dal).

Jharkhand's ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Indian Union Muslim League, Kerala Congress (Mani), the VCK, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, the National Conference of ex-Jammu and Kashmir CMs Farooq and Omar Abdullah, the MDMK, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party will also boycott the ceremony.

The Biju Janata Dal has not signed this statement or announced a boycott so far.

PM Modi will inaugurate the new Parliament building - a triangular-shaped four-storey building with a built-up area of 64,500 square metres on May 28.

Built in an area of 64,500 square metres, the new building will house 1,224 MPs.

It has a library, multiple committee rooms and dining rooms.

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Tata Projects has constructed the building at an estimated cost of Rs 970 crore.