Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal and Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju alongside PM Modi at the inaugration ceremony. Pic/ PTI
As part of the event, the Prime Minister planted a sindoor sapling on the premises, continuing a tradition he has maintained since Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Manohar Lal, and Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju were also present at the occasion
During the inauguration of the residential complex for parliamentarians, Prime Minister Modi suggested that the MP housing should become a place where India’s diverse festivals are celebrated and where residents compete to maintain cleanliness
He interacted with engineers and other personnel involved in the construction and praised them for their efforts
Taking a subtle jab at his political rivals, he remarked that while some may associate the name “Kosi”, one of the four towers named after different rivers, with the upcoming Bihar assembly polls, he would tell those “small-minded” people that the tradition of naming towers after rivers is meant to unite people
He pointed out that there had been a long-standing shortage of residences for MPs, with first-time members often struggling to find housing. He highlighted that no new residences were built for Lok Sabha MPs between 2004 and 2014 during the Congress-led UPA government, but since then, his administration has constructed around 350 such residences
"The India of the 21st century is as sensitive as it is eager for development," he said, adding that his government built a new government secretariat, Parliament building and houses for MPs and also constructed over four crore homes for the poor, hundreds of medical colleges and provided piped water supply for households. Old houses for MPs were in a poor state and posed several problems, the Prime Minister said, adding that lawmakers will face no such issue in these modern flats, each with a carpet area of over 5,000 sq ft
Noting that MPs from different states and regions will be staying in these premises, he said it will symbolise the idea of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat'. It will be a great move if festivals of different states are celebrated collectively, he said, adding that the MPs can ask their constituents to join them as well
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