The walk or ride up the Raisina Hill begins only after one has seen a show stopper of a building—the stunning circular creamy sandstone structure in Lutyens' Delhi—the Parliament House. It looks flat roofed from afar. But it conceals at its centre one of the most beautiful domes anywhere in the world— only an aerial photo can show that. And that dome has been witness to precious history many times, for the dome is atop the circular Central Hall of Parliament.
At the stroke of the midnight hour about 70 years ago, the Central Hall was where the transfer of power from the colonial regime to the provincial government took place, and independent India's first prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru made that famous “Tryst with Destiny” speech. So the dome and the Central Hall saw India awake to life and freedom when the world slept.
Come the midnight of June 30 - July 1, the Central Hall will be witness to an event almost as important as freedom—the country's biggest tax reform. It will be a transfer from the existing tax structure to that of the Goods and Services Tax regime, which is aimed at uniting India—one nation one tax. “The hour long function will mirror the contribution made by different political parties and the states to the revolutionary new tax regime, which will kick in at the stroke of the mid night hour,” said Finance Minister Arun Jaitely.
When the transfer of power took place, on the dais sat an occupant of the Viceregal Lodge, now the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Its current occupant, President Pranab Mukherjee will now share the dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mukherjee as finance minister in 2011 had piloted the first Constitutional Amendment Bill to bring in the GST. Also on the dais will be former prime ministers Dr Manmohan Singh and H.D. Deve Gowda, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. Members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and chief ministers and finance ministers of states are the other invitees.
From 1929 to 1949, the Central Hall was used for inaugurating the assembly and chamber of princes, by the viceroy. They all came in a procession.
The Central Hall has been used for the swearing in of the governor general before 1947, and the President of India thereafter. The constituent assembly met and, loosely speaking, drafted the Constitution of India under this beautiful dome, and under it was adopted the Constitution of India. Following this, the constituent assembly was dissolved, and the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha became the legislative pillars of India's democracy.
Important landmark events including the silver jubilee, golden jubilee and diamond jubilee of India's independence have been celebrated with commemorative meetings and events at the Central Hall, as have some parliamentary events with the participation of the President of India.
When no formal functions or events are to be held, the Central Hall is used as a lounge by MPs—former and present. Senior journalists with special passes, too, are allowed entry, and thus get to interact with law makers.
Post independence, the happiest events in the Central Hall have been the president's address to members of both houses—Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha – after every general elections. The first session of every year also sees the president addresses members of both houses at the Central Hall.
Though they don't use the dais, the party with the majority uses the Central Hall to elect their leader—the Prime Minister of India.
Incidentally, the Central Hall will be used very soon again, when President Pranab Mukherjee vacates the high chair for his successor at the Rashtrapati Bhavan .
The high chair in the Central Hall is meant only for the President of India. When a new president is to be sworn in, the incumbent comes in a procession and is seated on that chair. After the oath of office is administered on the president-elect, they change seats indicating a change of policy.
The GST is a major policy change. It comes into force from June 30 midnight.
