In addition to attending a religious ritual at the location, PM Modi revealed the national anthem that was cast on the roof of the new Parliament building. At the inauguration, he was joined by Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Om Birla, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and Harivansh, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The Constitution separates powers of Parliament, government and the judiciary, Owaisi said. As the head of the government, PM Modi should not have unveiled the National Emblem atop the new Parliament building. The Speaker of Lok Sabha represents LS which is not subordinate to the government, he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retaliated against Owaisi by claiming that he is motivated by a negative outlook and continually criticises the nation's political, moral, social, cultural, and constitutional norms in order to run his party.
"He does it habitually," BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, replying to a question at a press conference here.
Trivedi cited a scripture to make the point that even the best doctors cannot remove uncertainties. Only those with "official and statutory" positions, he continued, were present for the unveiling of the symbol.
Owaisi, on the other hand, is not the only one to criticise PM Modi. The absence of opposition leaders, holding a religious event on the grounds of Parliament, and "subverting" the constitutional separation of powers are just a few of the charges levelled against PM Modi by the opposition parties.
"The Speaker of Lok Sabha represents Lok Sabha which isn't subordinate to the government. The prime minister has violated all constitutional norms," the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad added.
The CPI(M) politburo issued a statement claiming that the prime minister's behaviour was a "clear violation of the Indian Constitution". It stated that the three pillars of the nation's democracy—the Executive (government), the Legislature (Parliament and state assemblies), and the Judiciary—are clearly distinguished by the Constitution.
"President summons the Parliament. Prime Minister is the head of the Executive. The Legislature has its independent role to perform, amongst others, to legislate laws, keep the Executive accountable and answerable," it said.
"This Constitutional separation of powers between the three wings is being subverted by the head of the Executive," the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said.
Majeed Memon, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), questioned why the government had excluded opposition figures from the unveiling of the national anthem atop the new Parliament structure.
"The Parliament House will not be occupied by the prime minister alone. It will also be occupied by the opposition. Not inviting them is a major flaw in a democratic set up," the former Rajya Sabha member said.
He said he had no objection to the prime minister unveiling the National Emblem, adding, "It is his right as he is the tallest leader of the country."
The religious ceremony that was held during the event was also criticised by the CPI(M). Parliament, according to CPI general secretary D Raja, belongs to everyone and he questioned "how a private, personal function" was organised there.
"National Emblem installation should not be linked to religious ceremonies. It is everyone's emblem, not those who have some religious beliefs. Keep religion separate from national functions," CPI(M) said in a tweet.
"Also, Parliament is neutral. So why bring religious functions into it?" D Raja asked.
Jawhar Sircar, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) member of the Rajya Sabha, questioned why MPs weren't included in the process.
In a tweet, he said: "4 lions of this regime watch as PM lifts the 4 lions of the National Emblem on top of the new Parliament building. But MPs, who will occupy this building, were never consulted. Modi will now zap us with a mediocre architecture designed by his crony architect -- at exorbitant costs."
Santanu Sen, a party associate and fellow Rajya Sabha member like Sircar, brought up the subject of the lack of opposition figures from the event.
"How many opposition leaders were found when @narendramodi was unveiling the #NationalEmblem today? Weight of the emblem is 9500 kg, which is even less than the weight of arrogance of @BJP4India Govt. Isn't this new Parliament for oppositions too? Absolute killing of Federalism (sic)," Sen wrote on Twitter.
Although the Congress declined to remark on the situation in an official capacity, one of its leaders, former BJP MP Udit Raj, brought up the subject of Hindu ceremonies being performed on the grounds of the Parliament.
"Mr Modi unveiled the emblem on new Parliament building. Does it belong to BJP? Hindu rites performed, India is a secular nation. Why other political parties were not invited? Indian democracy is on peril," he said in a tweet.
(With agency inputs)
