“Paper leakage outside, water leakage inside”: INDIA Alliance Leaders Slam BJP Over Water Leak in New Parliament Building

Leaders of the INDIA alliance on Thursday launched a scathing attack at the BJP led Union government over a video that surfaced showing water leaking from the lobby of the newly constructed Parliament building in Delhi. According to reports, the new Parliament building cost nearly ₹1,000 crore and has come under scrutiny. Delhi has been experiencing heavy rains, prompting the IMD to issue a red alert for the city.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore shared a video on his X handle, showing the water leakage in the lobby of the new Parliament building. “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,” said the Virudhunagar MP. Tagore submitted a notice for an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha, seeking the formation of a specialized committee comprising MPs from all parties. The committee would conduct a thorough inspection of the Parliament building following the water leaks caused by heavy rainfall.

Samajwadi Party Chief, Akhilesh Yadav followed suit and mocked the BJP by asking whether the frequent leaks from new government constructions were part of a "well-thought-out design." The video shared by Yadav, shows water dripping from the glass dome of the new Parliament building and collecting in a blue bucket. The Kannauj MP questioned the quality of the new structure compared to the old Parliament building, suggesting that the old building might be a better option until the issues with the new one are resolved. “The old parliament was better than this new parliament, where even the old MPs could come and meet. Why not go back to the old parliament, at least till the time the water dripping program is going on in the parliament built with billions of rupees. People are asking whether water dripping from every new roof constructed under the BJP government is a part of their well thought out design or…” posted Akhilesh Yadav on his social media platform “X”.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra likened the leaking lobby of the new Parliament to the BJP’s "shaky" election performance. “This government is a water-leak government. The Parliament is an edifice to Narendra Modi’s ego. Since the people of India have taught him a lesson, it I only natural that as a consequence of that, the Parliament’s lobby will leak…Like I said, the Parliament is an edifice to Narendra Modi’s ego, and since his ego has taken such a hit in these elections, it is only natural that water will leak from here,” said the Trinamool Congress MP from the Krishnanagar Parliamentary constituency.

The Aad Aadmi Party too took a swipe at the Union government. Engaged in a long-standing feud with the BJP over Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, remarked that the ₹1,200 crore Parliament building now relies on a ₹120 bucket to manage the leaks.

The Union government is yet to address this issue. The video of the leaking lobby of the new Parliament building comes days after video showed water dripping from the roof of a Vande Bharat train traveling from Delhi to Varanasi had surfaced on social media. Northern Railway attributed this issue to a "temporary blockage of pipes." In addition, reports surfaced in June about water leaks in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January. The temple administration stated the leaks to ongoing construction work rather than drainage issues.​