PM Modi bids adieu to old Parliament building

PM Modi speaks in Lok Sabha during a special session of Parliament on Monday. Pic/PTI

Bidding farewell to the old Parliament building, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sang paeans to first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and subsequent leaders, including Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but also reminded the Lok Sabha of the 'cash-for-vote' scam during the Manmohan Singh government.

Initiating the discussion in the Lok Sabha on "Parliamentary Journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha--Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings", Modi also said there were celebrations everywhere when three new states of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh were created during Vajpayee's time but lamented that Telangana being carved out of Andhra Pradesh led to only bitterness and bloodshed in both states.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami

"It is a very emotional moment to bid farewell to this building. As we leave this building our mind is filled with many emotions and memories," Modi said. In his 52-minute speech, the prime minister recalled the bravery of Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt who hurled bombs in the same Parliament to wake up the British empire from its slumber.

Modi said it was in this Parliament that Pandit Nehru delivered his "tryst with destiny" speech "at the stroke of midnight hour" and his words continue to inspire everyone. "In the same House, Atalji's words about 'sarkarein aayegi, jayegi; partiyan banegi, bigdegi; lekin yeh desh rehna chahiye' (governments may come and go; parties may be formed or disbanded; but this nation has to live on) continue to echo even today," Modi said.

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The PM said the biggest achievement of these 75 years is common person's trust in Parliament continues to grow. "We may as well move to the new building, but this old building will always inspire generations to come," he said. The PM also recalled the terror attack on Parliament and remembered those who took bullets on their chests to save members. "It was not an attack on the building but an attack on the Mother of Democracy itself. It was an attack on the soul of India," he said.

AIADMK snaps ties with BJP, says pact can be decided during polls

BJP TN president K Annamalai. Pic/Twitter

The bickering between allies AIADMK and BJP in Tamil Nadu over late Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai peaked on Monday with the regional party snapping ties with the saffron organisation, saying it cannot tolerate any affront to the late CM and its other leaders. The party trained its guns against BJP TN president K Annamalai, saying he was only keen to "promote" himself and was therefore targeting late Dravidian stalwarts Annadurai, fondly addressed as Anna (elder brother), EV Ramasamy Periyar and late AIADMK veterans MG Ramachandran (MGR) and J Jayalalithaa. Responding, the BJP said the Dravidian party "has a problem," with its growth as well as the growing stature of a young leader like Annamalai.

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Duration (in minutes) of PM's speech

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