Modi inaugurates new Indian parliament in break from colonial past amid opposition boycott
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s new parliament building on Sunday, a modern complex that exemplifies his Hindu nationalist government’s grand plan to give a makeover to national capital Delhi’s architecture in a literal and symbolic shedding of the country’s British colonial era. open image in gallery India’s prime minister Narendra Modi lights a lamp after installing the Sengol during the inauguration of the new parliament building in New Delhi “To open a new parliament building without the opposition, it does not mean there is a democracy in the country. open image in gallery Narendra Modi carries the royal golden sceptre to be installed near the speaker’s chair in the new parliament building The new complex is designed to seat 888 members in the lower house and 384 in the upper house. open image in gallery Modi inaugurates the new parliament building watched by the speaker of the lower house, Om Birla A year earlier, a group of 60 former civil servants wrote an open letter to the prime minister to highlight the architectural value of the old parliament building, saying the new plan would “irrevocably” destroy the area’s cultural heritage.