New Delhi: The Congress Thursday erupted in anger over Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi being made to sit in the “fifth row” at the Independence Day ceremony at Red Fort, with party leaders calling it an affront to democratic traditions and the people of India.
It was Rahul’s first appearance at the ceremony — during which the prime minister addresses the nation — in his capacity as LoP, a statutory post he took charge of after the general election. According to the Table of Precedence protocol list, the seating of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha LoPs are to be at par with cabinet ministers and even former PMs.
However, on Thursday, while the cabinet ministers occupied the front rows at the ceremony, Rahul, dressed in a white kurta pyjama, was seated at the back, with a group of sportspersons who participated in the Paris Olympics. Congress general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal said relegating the LoP to the last rows was a reflection of the government’s refusal to “wake up to the new reality post-June 4th”.
“The arrogance with which you relegated Lok Sabha LoP Shri Rahul Gandhi ji to the last rows during the Independence Day ceremony shows that you have not learned your lesson,” Venugopal posted on X. He said that the defence ministry’s “feeble explanation” that it was out of “respect for Olympians” doesn’t cut much ice.
Modi ji, it’s about time you wake up to the new reality post-June 4th. The arrogance with which you relegated Lok Sabha LoP Shri @RahulGandhi ji to the last rows during the Independence Day ceremony shows that you have not learned your lesson.
The Defence Ministry‘s feeble… pic.twitter.com/FZYldFveTQ
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) August 15, 2024
“While Olympians deserve every bit of respect, I wonder how Cabinet Ministers like Amit Shah or Nirmala Sitharaman ji get front row seats ahead of them,” Venugopal said, citing the Table of Precedence protocol, underlining that the LoPs of both Houses in Parliament must also be seated in the front row.
“This was not only an insult to the post of LoP or Rahul ji, it was an insult to the people of India, whose voice Rahul ji represents in Parliament. It’s amazing how uncomfortable the truth can make some people—so much so that they’d rather rearrange the seating than face it,” Venugopal added.
Supriya Shrinate, chairperson of Congress social media and digital platforms, also slammed the government over the issue, saying that by doing so, Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again “established” that he “is a person with a small mind”. It is futile to expect big things from “small minded people”, she said in a video statement.
She said if Rahul could not be accommodated in the front row to give space to the Olympians, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar should have made similar concessions.
“These people with a petty mindset do not care about democracy and democratic traditions.The statement of the Defense Ministry is further exposing the government. The truth is that Modi and his ministers avoid eye contact with Rahul Gandhi and feel uncomfortable. Whether Rahul Gandhi sits in the fifth row or the fiftieth, he will remain a people’s leader — but when will you people stop doing such dirty acts?” Shrinate added.
A similar row had broken out in June, over then Army chief General Manoj Pande and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan being made to sit much behind Reliance Industries Limited chairman Mukesh Ambani and film actor Shah Rukh Khan at the swearing-in ceremony of the new council of ministers.
At the time, Rahul was among the opposition leaders who had criticised the seating arrangement at the ceremony. “In securing the nation, making sacrifices, on the frontlines — Indian armed forces. But in Narendra Modi’s priority list — his billionaire friends with tempo travellers,” he had posted on X then.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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