“Why a 1,000- crore new Parliament when India is hungry?” Kamal Haasan asks centre.

By Ishank Katyal

Before launching his two year old Party campaign for the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Polls, Tollywood actor and politician Kamal Haasan slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Central Vista Project i.e. the new Parliament project for which he had laid the foundation stone recently.

The ‘Vishwaroop’ actor and founder of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on Sunday asked that what was the need of the new Parliament at such massive financial crisis at a time when country is facing the severe economic recession.

“Why a 1,000-crore new Parliament when half of India is hungry, losing livelihood due to coronavirus. When thousands died as the Great Wall of China was being built, the rulers said it was to protect people. To protect whom are you building the Rs1,000-crore Parliament? Please answer my honourable elected PM,” Mr Haasan tweeted on Saturday.  

On December 10 2020, PM Narendra Modi performed a massive ceremony in Delhi for the new Parliament building, set to be the centrepiece of the Rs.20,000- crore project to renew the Central Vista of the National Capital.

The construction of the building, however, cannot begin for now since the Supreme Court is hearing petitions challenging the project. Last week, it accused the government of “pushing forward aggressively” with the project ahead of the top court’s decision.

The Tamil leader’s attack on the project came hours before the launch of the first phase of his poll campaign from Madurai. The state elections are due in May 2021, with Mr Haasan himself likely to contest this time, making corruption, jobs, village development, and drinking water his MNM’s key planks. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party won nearly 4 per cent votes.