Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Saturday lauded the inauguration of the new Parliament complex, hailing it a “magnificent new home for the people who uphold our constitution”.
Shah Rukh Khan posted the video of the new Parliament building, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had initially shared, with his voiceover.
On May 26, PM Modi had tweeted a video providing a glimpse of the new Parliament building.
Shah Rukh Khan tweeted the video with his voiceover with the background score from the 2004 patriotic movie Swades, in which he played the lead role.
Shah captioned the video, "A new Parliament building for a New India but with the age-old dream of glory for India."
PM Modi also lauded Bollywood star Akshay Kumar’s video of the Parliament building with his voice-over.
Actor Akshay Kumar also called the new Parliament building as "an iconic symbol of India’s growth story."
A few hours prior to the grand inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday, PM Modi retweeted several posts.
The video was initially shared by PM Modi on May 26, encouraging people to add their own voice-over and promising to retweet selected submissions.
However, more than 20 opposition parties, including Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), AAP, Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Janata Dal (United), have boycotted the ceremony.
According to them the PM’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,” the 20 Opposition parties have said.
It is worth noting that the Lok Sabha will have the capacity to hold joint sessions and accommodate up to 1,272 members.
The new triangular-shaped building, which is the main point of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, features a constitutional hall and is designed to be accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities ("divyang friendly").
The complex also includes a central lounge area that complements the spacious open courtyard.
Furthermore, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers are symbolically inspired by India's national bird, the peacock, and national flower, the lotus, respectively.
