PM bids adieu to old Parliament building

LEADING THE HOUSE in bidding farewell to the existing Parliament building before members move to the new building on Tuesday for its first session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Lok Sabha on Monday"we are leaving this building with hope for the future".

- LIZ MATHEW

In a speech in which he largely refrained from political attacks or criticism, the Prime Minister hailed the contributions made by Jawaharlal Nehru and other Prime Ministers, the collective efforts of every MP since Independence and the evolution of Indian democracy. He underlined that the common man's faith in Parliament and democracy has increased over the years.

Mentioning the names of most of his predecessors - he did not name Rajiv Gandhi to appreciate their work, Modi, however, reminded the House that it had witnessed the cash-for-vote scam during - the Manmohan Singh government. He also took a swipe at the Opposition for not thumping the desk for his "praise" of Nehru, saying despite the solemn mood, "politics comes in between".

From Tuesday, on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will start functioning from the triangle-shaped new building, described by Modi as the reflection of the aspirations and dreams of 140 crore Indians. The building was inaugurated in May.

"Today we have an opportunity to connect with the past. We are leaving this building with hope for the future. I am confident that as we enter the new Parliament building, we will go there with new hope and confidence," the Prime Minister said, initiating the discussion in Lok Sabha on 'Parliamentary Journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha - Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings' during the five-day special session.