New Delhi:

Actors Bhumi Pednekar and Shehnaaz Gill visited the new Parliament building today ahead of the release of their upcoming movie ‘Thank You For Coming.’ They met with Union Minister Anurag Thakur along with their other co-stars Shibani Bedi and Dolly Singh.

Speaking to NDTV about the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, or the women’s reservation bill, Bhumi Pednekar said: “I feel very proud to be here and be a part of such a historic moment. It is a beautiful building (the new Parliament). Being a modern, Indian woman, this (women’s reservation bill) is a very important thing for us. Through our films and our work, we have tried to maintain equality for our gender. The messaging of the bill will go far and wide – change is here and our tomorrow will be even better.”

“The bill will bring a change that will help women get better representation. If there are no women in places of power, the policies and laws won’t be proper. The representation will happen now, there is hope,” she added.

Ms Pednekar’s co-actor Shehnaaz Gill said men and women should be treated the same. “It is a big thing for me … Something big is happening for the women of our country and I am here. I am here on a historic day. I had the opportunity to see the Parliament from inside. Not everyone gets such an opportunity. I even heard the debate (on the women’s reservation bill). 

“It is a good thing – the proposal to have 33% reservation in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women. I feel men and women should be treated the same. India is growing,” she said.

“It felt nice to see the House proceedings live after seeing them on TV for so many years. We went around the complex and everything was explained to us. I got to see the art on display. It was fantastic,” Ms Gill said.

The new Parliament reverberated with fiery speeches from women MPs today during a heated debate on the women’s reservation bill. Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, DMK MP Kanimozhi, and the NCP’s Supriya Sule ripped into the government for failing to respect women, while Union Minister Smriti Irani responded by declaring the government has “made women count”.

New Delhi:

The leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, raised concerns over the alleged attack on the constitution by saying that new copies of the Constitution that were handed to the politicians on the opening day of the new Parliament building don’t have the words ‘socialist secular’. 

“The new copies of the Constitution that were given to us today (19th September), the one we held in our hands and entered (the new Parliament building), its Preamble doesn’t have the words ‘socialist secular’,” he said while speaking to ANI on Tuesday.   

He further added, “We know that the words were added after an amendment in 1976, but if someone gives us the Constitution today and it doesn’t have those words, it is a matter of concern.”

He alleged, “Their intention is suspicious. It has been done cleverly. It is a matter of concern for me.”

Mr Chowdhury said, “I tried to raise this issue, but I did not get an opportunity to raise this issue.”

Earlier While speaking in the Lok Sabha at the new Parliament complex on the second day of the five-day special session on Tuesday, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that nobody should try to create an unnecessary rift between ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’ as there is no difference between the two as per the Constitution of India.

“This Constitution is no less than the Gita, Quran, and Bible for us. Article 1 says, “India, that is, Bharat, shall be a Union of States…” It means that there is no difference between India and Bharat. It will be better if nobody tries to unnecessarily create a rift between the two,” he said.  

The controversy was triggered after the invitation for the G20 dinner was sent out in the name of the President of ‘Bharat’ and not India.  

The debate started after Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan shared on X, formerly Twitter, a G20 dinner invite in which Droupadi Murmu was described as ‘President of Bharat’.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:
The Indian parliament will make the historic move today from the well-loved circular Lutyens building to the mammoth lion-capitol-topped triangular edifice on Central Vista that is seen as the emblem of a New India.

Here are the top 10 points in this big story:

New Delhi:

Drawing an analogy to a family that shifts into a new home, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it is a very emotional moment to bid farewell to the Old Parliament building.

He reflected on the various moods that the House has witnessed in all these years and said that these memories are the preserved heritage of all the members of the house.

“Its glory also belongs to us”, he added.

He remarked that the nation has witnessed countless incidents related to the creation of New India in the 75-year-old history of this Parliament House and today is an opportunity to express respect for the ordinary citizen of India. 

The Prime Minister recalled when, as the first-time MP, he came to Parliament and paid his obeisance by bowing to the building.

He said that it was an emotional moment and he could not have imagined that but he said “It is the power of the democracy of India that a poor child who used to earn livelihood on a railway station reached Parliament. I never imagined that the nation would give me this much love, respect and blessings”, he said. 

Quoting the Upanishad sentence inscribed on the gate of the Parliament, the Prime Minister said that the sages said to open the doors for the people and see how they attain their rights.

PM Modi said that current and past members of the House are the witness to the correctness of this assertion. 

PM Modi highlighted the changing composition of the house with passage of the time as it grew more inclusive and representatives from all sections of society started coming to the House. “Inclusive atmosphere has kept manifesting the aspirations of the people with full power”, he said. The Prime Minister noted the contributions of women parliamentarians that have helped in growing the dignity of the House.

Giving a rough estimation, the Prime Minister informed that more than 7500 public representatives have served in both Houses where the number of women representatives is approximately 600.

He also informed that Indrajit Gupta Ji has served for almost 43 years in this House, and Shafiqur Rahman served at the age of 93 years. He also mentioned Chandrani Murmu who was elected to the House at the young age of 25.

PM Modi further noted a sense of family in the House despite arguments and sarcasm and called this a major quality of the House as bitterness never lingers.

He also remembered how, despite severe ailments, the members came to the House to perform their duties including during the difficult time of pandemic.  

Recalling the scepticism during the initial years of the Independence about the viability of the new nation, PM said that it is the strength of the Parliament that all the doubts proved wrong. 

The sittings of the Constituent Assembly for two years and 11 months in the same House and the adoption and promulgation of the Constitution, the Prime Minister said that “In the 75 years the biggest achievement has been the continuously growing trust of the common citizen in their Parliament”.

He said that the house benefitted from the addresses of Presidents from Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr Kalam to Ramnath Kovind to Droupadi Murmu. 

Referring from the times of Pandit Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, the PM Modi said, “They have given new direction to the nation under their leadership and today is an occasion to highlight their achievements. He also touched upon Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Ram Manohar Lohia, Chandra Shekhar, Lal Krishna Advani and others who have enriched the discussions in the House and emboldened the voice of the common citizens.”

PM Modi also highlighted the address by various foreign leaders in the House which brings to the fore their respect for India. 

He also touched upon Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Ram Manohar Lohia, Chandra Shekhar, Lal Krishna Advani and others who have enriched the discussions in the House and emboldened the voice of the common citizens.

PM Modi also highlighted the address by various foreign leaders in the House which brings to the fore their respect for India. 

He also recalled moments of pain when the nation lost three Prime Ministers while still in office- Nehru Ji, Shastri Ji and Indira Ji. 

Meanwhile, PM Modi also recalled the dexterous handling of the house by the speakers despite many challenges. He said they created reference points in their decisions.

“17 Speakers including 2 women from Mavlankar to Sumitra Mahajan to Om Birla everyone contributed in their way, taking everyone along,” he said. 

The Prime Minister also acknowledged the contribution of the staff of the Parliament.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday raised the national flag at the new Parliament building in New Delhi.

Flanked by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, he hoisted the flag atop the “Gaja Dwar” of the new Parliament building.

#WATCH | Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar hoists the national flag at Gaj Dwar, the New Building of Parliament. pic.twitter.com/dwlGNDfjGq

— ANI (@ANI) September 17, 2023

The hoisting ceremony takes place a day before the five-day Parliament session begins Monday which may see parliamentary proceedings shift from the old to the adjacent new building.

Earlier, Dhankhar and Birla were separately accorded a guard of honour by the CRPF’s Parliament Duty Group.

“It is a historic moment, Bharat is witnessing epochal change. The world is in total recognition of might, power and contribution of Bharat,” Dhankhar told reporters after the ceremony.

Union ministers, including Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi and Arjun Ram Meghwal, attended the ceremony where leaders from other political parties were also present.

Dhankhar and Birla interacted with the guests after the event as a CRPF band played in the background.

Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge had said on Saturday that he would not be able to attend the flag hoisting function and expressed disappointment over getting the invite “quite late”.

He wrote to Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody, saying that he received the invite for the function only in the late evening of September 15.

The Congress Working Committee is meeting in Hyderabad.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)