It is located on Rafi Marg, which crosses the Central Vista and is surrounded by the Old Parliament House, Vijay Chowk, India Gate, National War Memorial, Vice President's Enclave, Hyderabad House, Secretariat Building, Prime Minister's Office and residence, ministerial buildings and other administrative units of the Indian government.
[7] In 2019, the Indian government launched the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, which included constructing a new parliament building along with other projects in New Delhi, including revamping Kartavya Path, construction of a new residence for the vice president, a new office and residence for the prime minister and combining all ministerial buildings in a single central secretariat.
This pendulum, created by the National Council of Science Museums in Kolkata, is the largest of its kind in India, standing at a towering height of 22 meters and weighing an 36 kg.
[27] As part of the inauguration ceremony, following a Tamil Hindu tradition,[28] Adheenam (Shaivite monasteries) priests handed over a gold-plated scepter, Sengol to PM Modi, who installed it near the chair of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha in the new Parliament building.
[31] During the inauguration, a 'Sarva Dharma Prarthana' (all-religious prayer) was performed in which religious leaders from Hinduism, Zoroastrian, Baháʼí Faith, Judaism, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism were present.
[38] Rahul Gandhi, a member of the Indian National Congress, accused Modi of treating the ceremony as a coronation, emphasizing the need for parliamentary proceedings to remain focused on representing the people rather than showcasing personal grandeur.
[39] A mural that depicts a map of Maurya Empire, an undivided India in the new parliament caused a diplomatic row with neighbouring Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
On 28 May 2023, India's parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi tweeted a photo of the mural with a sentence in Kannada, a translation of which says, "Resolve is clear – Akhand Bharat".
[43] Baburam Bhattarai, former prime minister of Nepal, also criticised "The controversial mural of 'Akhand Bharat'" that according to him "has the potential of further aggravating the trust deficit already vitiating the bilateral relations between most of the immediate neighbours of India".
[44] On 1 June 2023, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch expressed concern stating that "We are appalled by the statements made by some BJP politicians, including a union minister, linking the mural with 'Akhand Bharat'".
[47] Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs had also previously clarified that the mural depicted the spread of the Mauryan period in Indian history.
[48] On 13 December 2023, the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, two intruders from the visitor's gallery entered the Lok Sabha chamber and opened smoke bombs.
A meeting was organised later in the day by the speaker of the Lok Sabha with the members of parliament and a decision was made to ban the issuance of visitor passes.