Opposition boycotts new Parliament building inauguration — Check full list of parties here

"This undignified act insults the high office of the President, and violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution," the Opposition parties claim.

Furthermore, the Opposition believes it undermines India's spirit of inclusion as Murmu is the first woman Adivasi president.

They also criticise the prime minister for allegedly making the event about himself rather than honouring the institution of Parliament.

"When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from the Parliament, we find no value in a new building. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building," the letter reads. "We will continue to fight — in letter, in spirit, and in substance — against this authoritarian Prime Minister and his government, and take our message directly to the people of India."

Nineteen Opposition parties on Wednesday issued a joint statement announcing their decision to skip the inauguration ceremony. Here's a list of the parties and some of their major leaders that have made public statements.

1. Indian National Congress (INC)

2. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) - MP Tiruchi Siva

3. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)

4. Shiv Sena (UBT) - Sanjay Raut

5. Samajwadi Party - MP Ram Gopal Yadav

6. Communist Party of India (CPI)

7. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)

8. Kerala Congress (Mani)

9. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK)

10. Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)

11. Trinamool Congress (TMC)

12. Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) - Lalan Singh

13. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)

14. Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M))

15. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) - Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha

16. Indian Union Muslim League

17. National Conference Party (NC) - Hasnain Masoodi

18. Revolutionary Socialist Party

19. Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Although not signatories of the joint letter, the All India United Democratic Front has also announced its decision to boycott the inauguration if the President doesn't attend.

As more and more Opposition parties joined the boycott, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance on Wednesday also issued a counter-statement calling the Opposition boycott "disrespectful."

Here are the political parties of the NDA that announced that they will attend the May 28 inauguration:

1. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

2. Shiv Sena - Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

3. National People’s Party - Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma

4. Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party - Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio

5. Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) - Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang

6. Janayak Janata Party - Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala

7. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)

8. Indhiya Makkal Kalvi Munnetra Kazhagam (IMKMK)

9. All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU)

10. Republican Party of India (RPI)

11. Mizo National Front - Mizoram CM Zoramthanga

12. Tamil Maanila Congress

13. Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT)

14. Bodo People’s Party

15. Pattali Makkal Kacchi

16. Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)

16. Apna Dal - Soney Lal

17. Assam Gan Parishad

Although not NDA members, some other like-minded political parties have announced that they too will attend the inauguration. These are:

1. Telugu Desam Party (TDP)

2. Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP)

3. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)

4. Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S))

5. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas Paswan)

6. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)

7. Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP)

8. United People's Party Liberal (UPPL)

9. Biju Janata Dal (BJD)

In a statement published on May 24, the NDA condemned the 19 Opposition parties that signed a statement announcing their boycott.

"This act is not merely disrespectful; it is a blatant affront to the democratic ethos and constitutional values of our great nation," the NDA said.

It goes on to describe the recent boycott as just "another feather in their cap of disregard for democratic processes," claiming that they have repeatedly engaged in such acts over the past nine years.

"Such flagrant disrespect towards this institution betrays not only intellectual bankruptcy but a disturbing contempt for the very essence of democracy," the BJP-led NDA wrote.

The Opposition parties had also boycotted the ceremony for laying the foundation stone of the new Parliament building in December 2020. Their concerns at that time were related to the timing of the event amid farmer protests, the COVID-19 pandemic and economic distress caused by the lockdown.

The parties have objected to the overall Central Vista Project before and echoed those statements in their current letter.

"Despite our belief that the government is threatening democracy, and our disapproval of the autocratic manner in which the new Parliament was built, we were open to sinking our differences and marking this occasion," they wrote.

However, PM Modi's decision to inaugurate the building himself was a "grave insult" due to which the Opposition parties announced their collective decision to boycott the inauguration.