‘Why a new parliament when half of India is hungry?’ Kamal Haasan asks PM Modi

Tamil film star-turned-politician Kamal Haasan attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the new parliament project for which he had laid the foundation stone recently.

The veteran actor and founder of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on Sunday asked what was the point of such a massive financial indulgence at a time when the country’s economy was facing severe turbulence.

“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,” Haasan tweeted on Saturday.  

On December 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed a ground-breaking ceremony in the heart of Delhi for the new parliament building, set to be the centrepiece of the ₹ 20,000-crore project to refurbish 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.