Chennai: Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K.S. Alagiri on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the new Parliament building on Veer Savarkar's birthday is "an insult to the people of the country".
In a statement, the Congress leader said that Savarkar, who was incarcerated in Andaman Jail, had secured his release by tendering an apology and had assured not to act against the British rule.
He said that there was no great insult to the people of the country than inaugurating the Parliament building on the birth anniversary of Savarkar who had insulted the Indian freedom movement.
Alagiri said that "the true face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was revealed by not inviting the President, Droupadi Murmu -- a tribal woman, for inaugurating the new Parliament building as well as not inviting the former President Ram Nath Kovind -- a Dalit, in 2020 during the foundation laying ceremony".
He said that PM Modi has insulted Dalits and tribals by not inviting them for the inauguration even while bragging about appointing them to the highest office in the country.
The TNCC president in the statement said that the President of the country was the head of both the houses of the Parliament and has the right to convene and prorogue the Parliament.
He said that bills passed by Parliament become law only after the assent of the President.
He said that not inviting the President for the inauguration of the Parliament is "an insult to both the President and the Indian Constitution".
 —IANS