Speaker, not PM should inaugurate new Parliament building, says Owaisi

Hyderabad, May 24 (IANS) AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has made it clear that his party will not attend the inauguration of new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming it as gross violation of the theory of separation of powers.

He told reporters here on Wednesday that the building should be inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. He said if the Prime Minister comes forward to have the building inaugurated by the Speaker, AIMIM will attend the programme.

The Hyderabad MP did not agree with the view of the opposition parties that the President of India should inaugurate the new Parliament building. "Their argument that the President should inaugurate is also wrong because Article 53 (1) of the Constitution makes it clear that the executive power of the union is vested in the President. They don't read the Constitution," he said.

Owaisi said opposition parties did not contact AIMIM as 'in their view we are 'untouchables'.

Owaisi recalled that when the Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone for the new Parliament building, he had called it unnecessary interference of the executive in the legislature. He reiterated his stand when the Prime Minister inaugurated the national emblem.

"The Prime Minister should not inaugurate the Parliament building because this is a gross violation of the theory of separation of powers. The legislature is independent from the executive. The executive is interfering in legislature's domain," he said.

Stating that the Speaker is custodian of Lok Sabha and he should inaugurate the new Parliament House, Owaisi demanded that the Prime Minister Modi should step back and allow the Speaker to inaugurate if he believes in the basic structure of the Constitution.

Owaisi, whose party has two members in Lok Sabha, said that the Prime Minister wants to weaken the theory of separation of powers. "This will set new precedent and in every state the executive will interfere in the domain of the legislature," he said.

Owaisi recalled that after the 2019 elections when the Modi government had called an all-party meeting on one nation one election, all participants except he and Sitaram Yechuri had agreed to the idea of one nation one election.

The MP recalled during the meeting he had stated that the idea of one nation one election goes against basic structure of the Constitution and the Prime Minister's expression showed he was not happy.

The AIMIM President claimed that at the same meeting he suggested building a new Lok Sabha and the Prime Minister had said that he would look into it.

Owaisi said no one disputes that there was a need for a new Parliament building as there was a chock-a-block situation in the existing building and it also did not have clearance from fire service.

When asked about the plans of Karnataka's new government to lift the ban on hijab, Owaisi said it had been his consistent stand that the ban on hijab was a blatant violation of the Constitution of India.

He said those who took oath by the Constitution should ensure that the Constitution is respected and followed.