New Delhi: The Opposition has been hitting out at the Narendra Modi government after images and videos surfaced on social media on Thursday showing water leaking from the roof of the new parliament building being collected in a bucket. Built at Rs 1,200 crore, the building was inaugurated with much fanfare on May 28, 2023.
Videos currently doing rounds on social media show water dripping from the roof inside the parliament lobby along the path used by the President and water being collected in a blue bucket.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore was quick to share the video and took a dig at the Modi government. “Paper leakage outside, water leakage inside,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Paper leakage outside,
water leakage inside. The recent water leakage in the Parliament lobby used by the President highlights urgent weather resilience issues in the new building, just a year after completion.
Moving Adjournment motion on this issue in Loksabha. #Parliament pic.twitter.com/kNFJ9Ld21d— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) August 1, 2024
Samajwadi Party chief and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav weighed in on the matter. “The old Parliament was better than this new one, where even the former MPs could visit. Why not return to the old Parliament until the issues with the new one, built with billions of rupees, are resolved?” Akhilesh said.
He went onto add, “People are questioning whether the water dripping from every new roof constructed under the BJP government is part of their well-thought-out design or something else.”
इस नई संसद से अच्छी तो वो पुरानी संसद थी, जहाँ पुराने सांसद भी आकर मिल सकते थे। क्यों न फिर से पुरानी संसद चलें, कम-से-कम तब तक के लिए, जब तक अरबों रुपयों से बनी संसद में पानी टपकने का कार्यक्रम चल रहा है।
जनता पूछ रही है कि भाजपा सरकार में बनी हर नई छत से पानी टपकना, उनकी… pic.twitter.com/PpJ36k6RJm
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) August 1, 2024
Aam Aadmi Party also mocked the government saying, “The Parliament which was built at the cost of 1200 crores is now dependent on a bucket of Rs 120.”
₹1200 करोड़ से बनकर तैयार हुई संसद को अब ₹120 की बाल्टी का ही सहारा है ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/kKlJTEK81N
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) August 1, 2024
In addition to water leaking in the lobby, a video on social media shows a flood of water entering into what is the Rajya Sabha part of the parliament complex. The Wire, however, has not verified the video independently.
BIG. BREAKING ➖ Parliament House
Godi Media won’t show you these visuals 🔥🔥
PM Narendra Modi has provided swimming facilities for all MP’s in the new Parliament House that he built at a cost of 1400 crore of tax payers hard earned money. pic.twitter.com/sjRCcXZXuU
— Ravinder Kapur. (@RavinderKapur2) August 1, 2024
Tagore submitted an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha, proposing the formation of a special committee to investigate the issues concerning the parliament building.
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said the “minor water leak” in the new parliament building was due to the displacement of an adhesive material used to fix glass domes over the lobby and corrective measures were taken immediately.
“During the heavy rain on Wednesday, the adhesive material used to fix the glass domes over the Lobby of the Building was slightly displaced, causing minor leakage of water in the Lobby. It said the problem was detected timely and corrective measures were taken immediately. Thereafter, no further leakage of water has been noticed,” the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.