Today is going to be a historic day for Indian democracy. Today, the largest Panchayat of the country i.e. our Parliament is going to enter a new phase after completing 75 years of history in 75 steps. According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself will walk from the old Parliament House to the new Parliament House with a copy of the Constitution. Behind him, all the MPs of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha will enter the new Parliament House on foot. Today, on the second day of the special session of Parliament, the proceedings of Parliament will begin from the Old Parliament House. The joint proceedings of both the Houses will begin at 11 am in the Central Hall, where all the MPs will present their views briefly and narrate their experiences. This will also be an emotional farewell to the old Parliament.
The new Parliament building is built very close to the old Parliament building. So close that both eras of our modern history seem to be talking to each other here. This beautiful and historic Parliament House, which has been the heartbeat of India’s democracy, was completed in 1927, but the first and biggest opportunity for independent India came here when the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited here on the midnight of 14-15 August 1947. He gave that historic speech known as Tryst with Destiny, which is still considered one of the most talked about speeches of the 20th century.
The Supreme Court was in this building till 1958
In this old Parliament, the Constituent Assembly adopted the new Constitution of the country on 26 November 1949. This Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950 and with this India became a sovereign democratic republic. It is also very interesting to know that on 28 January 1950, two days after India became a republic, the country’s largest court, the Supreme Court, was also inaugurated in this old Parliament. The Supreme Court also continued to function in this Parliament until 1958, until a new Parliament building was built on Tilak Marg. In this respect, this Parliament House becomes even more special.
In the last 75 years, this historic Parliament of the country has seen 17 Lok Sabhas making the laws of the country, 15 Presidents taking charge of the country and 14 Prime Ministers running the affairs of the country. In his speech on Monday, PM Modi also mentioned the former Prime Ministers who created history in Parliament.
The foundation stone was laid in 1921
The foundation stone of the Old Parliament was laid 102 years ago on 12 February 1921. While laying its foundation stone, the Duke of Connaught of Britain said that it will become a symbol of India’s rebirth and reaching new heights. This circular building of 560 feet diameter, built on six acres, was designed by British architect Sir Herbert Bacon. Sir Herbert Bacon and Sir Edwin Lutyens were given the responsibility of designing the new capital in the Raisina Hill area of ​​Delhi.
The construction cost was Rs 83 lakh.
According to the official website of Central Vista, about two and a half thousand craftsmen were employed to shape the stones and marbles of this Parliament House. There are 144 huge pillars of white colored sandstone around this circular Parliament and each is 27 feet tall. The red sandstone installed in the Parliament was brought from Agra and a special naira gauge railway line was laid for it. The cost of building the old Parliament House 100 years ago was Rs 83 lakh and it took six years to build.
Lord Irwin inaugurated
On 18 January 1927, the then Viceroy Lord Irwin inaugurated this building. This building was earlier called Council House, where the Imperial Legislative Council, i.e. the legislature of British India, used to sit. After the end of the British rule in India, the Constituent Assembly sat in this Parliament to prepare a new constitution and when the Constitution came into force in 1950, it was called the Indian Parliament.
What will happen to the old Parliament now?
Ever since the formation of the new Parliament, this question is being asked as to what will happen to the old Parliament. However, it is now being told that the old Parliament will be converted into a museum. People coming here from India and abroad will be able to see India’s parliamentary tradition and heritage. The new Parliament has been built in such a way that India’s cultural heritage and traditions can be preserved. There is also an exhibition here.
This is the difference between the new and old parliament
– The old Parliament has 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. The new Parliament will have 888 seats in the Lok Sabha, which has been created in view of the new delimitation of parliamentary seats in 2026. After delimitation, the number of Lok Sabha seats will increase, which is currently 543.
– In the old Parliament, the joint session of the Parliament was held in the Central Hall. But in the new Parliament, the joint session will be held in the Lok Sabha only. The number of seats for the joint session here can be increased to 1272.
– There will be a central lounge in the new Parliament. This will be an open courtyard, which will be a place for MPs to mingle with each other. The national tree of the country, Banyan, is planted in this compound.
– The Central Hall which was there in the old Parliament, will not be there in the new Parliament. This Central Hall was a special meeting place for MPs and journalists covering Parliament.
– There will be a Constitutional Hall in the new Parliament, which will not be there in the old Parliament.
