NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for a huge new Indian parliament, the centrepiece of a grand but contentious redevelopment of New Delhi's colonial-era core. Critics say the 200 billion rupees ($2.7 billion) that the Hindu nationalist government is reportedly spending on the vast project could be better directed to fighting Covid-19 and repairing the pandemic-battered economy.

Modi performed Hindu rites to Sanskrit chants in a ceremony that was largely symbolic as India's top court has banned any construction work until a raft of legal petitions against the mega-project are dealt with. The prime minister's decision to perform a Hindu ceremony drew fire from some critics as India's parliament is meant to safeguard the officially secular traditions of the multi-faith democracy of 1.3 billion people.

It also came as tens of thousands of farmers angry at new agricultural laws blockade the capital, in a major challenge to the authority of Modi and his reform agenda. Due for completion in 2022 when India marks 75 years of independence, the much larger new parliament will replace an old building that Modi said Thursday "needs rest".