New Parliament building should be renamed Modi Marriot, says Congress

Tribune News Service

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, September 23

Suggesting that the new building of Parliament be renamed as "Modi Multiplex" or "Modi Marriot", the Congress on Saturday proposed finding new use for the structure "after government change in 2024".

In a statement posted on X on Saturday, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh described the new building as "claustrophobic' and said its architecture is not conducive for democracy.

"The new Parliament building launched with so much hype actually realises the PM's objectives very well. It should be called the Modi Multiplex or Modi Marriot. After four days, what I saw was the death of confabulations and conversations—both inside the two Houses and in the lobbies. If architecture can kill democracy, the PM has already succeeded even without rewriting the Constitution,” Ramesh tweeted on X.

Taking exception to the vastness of the halls, Ramesh said, "Binoculars are needed to see each other since the halls are simply not cosy or compact."

The old Parliament building had a certain aura and it also facilitated conversations, Ramesh wrote and added that it was easy to walk between Houses, the Central Hall, and the corridors in the old building.

"The new building weakens the bonding needed to make the running of Parliament a success. Quick coordination between the two Houses is now exceedingly cumbersome," Ramesh wrote.

The Congress leader said that in the old Parliament building, if one was lost, one could find the way back again since it was circular. In the new building, if one loses her/his way, she/he is lost in a maze.

"The old building gave you a sense of space and openness while the new one is almost claustrophobic", Ramesh wrote.

Ramesh, who is Congress party's chief whip in Rajya Sabha, also lamented that the "sheer joy of simply hanging out in Parliament has disappeared".

"I used to look forward to going to the old building. The new complex is painful and agonising," Ramesh wrote and added that many other MPs across party affiliations must be also having similar feelings about the new building.

The Congress leader noted that he also heard from the staff in the secretariat that the design of the new building had not considered the various functionalities required by them to carry out their work.

Ramesh said this happened because people who would use the building were not consulted at the time of its construction.

"Perhaps a better use for the new Parliament building will be found after regime change in 2024," Ramesh wrote.

Reacting to the opposition’s comments, BJP president JP Nadda said, “Even by the lowest standards of the Congress Party, this is a pathetic mindset. This is nothing but an insult to the aspirations of 140 crore Indians. In any case, this isn’t the first time Congress is anti-Parliament. They tried in 1975 and it failed miserably.”

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