A video of Indian PM Narendra Modi walking towards the podium of the newly constructed Indian Parliament and exchanging greetings with other leaders is being shared as visuals of the first session at the new Indian Parliament building. The viral post further alleges that all the members of 19 opposition parties who boycotted the inaugural ceremony have attended this session. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of the first parliamentary session at the newly inaugurated Indian Parliament, showing the participation of all members from 19 opposition parties that boycotted the inaugural ceremony.
Fact: The visuals depict the inaugural ceremony of the newly built Indian parliament, held on 28 May 2023, and not a parliament session. Around 20 opposition parties boycotted this event. Moreover, the first session to be held in the new parliament building will be the Monsoon Session, scheduled to start in July 2023. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
An internet search using relevant keywords led us to a similar video that was live-streamed by Doordarshan National on its YouTube channel on 28 May 2023. However, the visuals in the video depict the Inauguration ceremony of the New Parliament building but not a parliament session.
By convention, Parliament holds three sessions each year. The longest session, known as the Budget Session, typically begins in late January and concludes by the end of April or the first week of May. The second session is the three-week Monsoon Session, which usually starts in July and ends in August. The parliamentary year concludes with the Winter Session, a three-week session held from November to December.
According to an official press release, the Budget Session for the year 2023, which commenced on 31 January 2023, took place in the old parliament building and adjourned sine die on 06 April 2023. The Monsoon Session, scheduled to start in July, will be held in the newly inaugurated parliament building.
Reports indicate that approximately 20 parties boycotted the inauguration ceremony of the new Indian parliament in protest of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, inaugurating the new structure instead of President Droupadi Murmu.
To sum it up, visuals from the inauguration ceremony of the newly constructed Indian parliament are being shared, falsely claiming them to be from the first session and showing the participation of all members from opposition parties that boycotted the inaugural ceremony.
