Kamal Haasan questions PM Modi on rationale behind new Parliament building amid COVID-19

Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM chief) Kamal Haasan on Sunday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spell out the rationale behind constructing a new Parliament building for about Rs 1,000 crore "when half of India is hungry due to COVID-19 pandemic triggered loss of livelihoods".

'Answer honourable elected Prime Minister'

Taking to Twitter, Kamal Haasan compared the proposed construction of the new building to the Great Wall of China and claimed that "thousands of people perished during its construction" but the Chinese rulers said that the wall was to "guard" the people.  "To protect whom is a new Parliament building being constructed at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore when half of India is hungry due to the Coronavirus pandemic triggered loss of livelihoods," the Makkal Needhi Maiam leader asked in a tweet.

"Answer honourable elected Prime Minister," he said hours before kick-starting the first phase of his campaign for the Assembly polls from Madurai in southern Tamil Nadu. Assembly elections are due during April-May 2021 in Tamil Nadu.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for a new Parliament building on December 10. He also performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the structure, which is expected to be completed by 2022. 

Features of the New Parliament building

The new building will have an area of 64,500 square metres. It will also have a grand Constitution Hall to showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for members of Parliament, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking space. In the new building, the Lok Sabha chamber will have a seating capacity for 888 members, while the Rajya Sabha will have 384 seats for members. The Lok Sabha chamber will have an option to increase its sitting capacity to 1,224 members during joint sessions. 

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This has been done keeping in mind the future increase in the number of members for the two houses. At present, Lok Sabha has a sanctioned strength of 543 members and Rajya Sabha 245. In September this year, Tata Projects Limited won the bid to construct the new Parliament building. The new building will be constructed close to the existing one under the Central Vista redevelopment project. The existing Parliament House building will be suitably retro-fitted to provide more functional spaces for parliamentary events, to ensure its usage along with the new building.

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