evidence: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s new parliament building in New Delhi on Sunday, part of a controversial $2.4 billion revamp of the capital’s historic center that his critics have called a "vanity project." [...] In the run-up to the event, they had taken issue with Modi’s decision to inaugurate the parliament building himself, rather than letting India’s President and head of state, Droupadi Murmu, lead the ceremony. In a statement last week, 19 political parties announced they would boycott the opening, saying that parliament "cannot function" without the president and calling Modi’s prominent role in the ceremony a "direct assault" on India’s democracy.