A sharp political controversy erupted during the Independence Day celebrations at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, as top opposition leaders chose to skip the solemn government event for the third consecutive year. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, along with Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, were notably absent from the ceremony. The dispute stems from disagreement over seating allocations, with the main opposition party accusing the administration of breaching protocol, while the government swiftly released historical records to counter the allegations.
Seating Protocol Dispute and Cabinet Rank Arguments
The core of the disagreement revolves around the seating arrangements finalized for the national event. As the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi holds the status of a Cabinet minister. The Congress party argued that official protocol dictates he should have been assigned a seat in the front row. Instead, he was designated a seat in the second row, further back than expected. Congress strongly condemned this placement, characterizing it as a disrespect to democratic norms and the mandate of the public. Conversely, the central government offered a distinct explanation for the arrangement. Official representatives stated that front-row seats were specifically allocated to honour Indian athletes returning from the Paris Olympics, which required restructuring the primary seating order for dignitaries.
Defence Ministry Counters with UPA Era Seating Records
As the controversy gathered momentum, the Ministry of Defence took immediate measures to address the opposition's grievances. According to official sources, the ministry shared a historic record from the UPA regime with senior Congress leaders. The document detailed how seating was arranged for opposition leaders when Congress was in power. The records indicated that during the UPA administration, prominent BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj were similarly placed in rear rows during Independence Day functions. The government emphasized that the current seating plan strictly adhered to established protocol guidelines. However, sources noted that Congress leaders remained dissatisfied with the response and declined to attend the Red Fort ceremony without offering further substantive reasons.
Kharge's Absence and Alternative Ceremony at Indira Bhawan
The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, also decided against attending the Red Fort event. Party sources indicated that Kharge had been assigned a seat in either the second or third row. Congress justified his absence by citing mobility challenges, explaining that walking the considerable distance to reach his assigned seat at the venue posed significant physical difficulty for the party chief. Consequently, Kharge opted to unfurl the national flag at the Congress headquarters, Indira Bhawan. He was joined at the party headquarters by senior leader Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for the Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony.
BJP Criticizes Boycott and RP Singh's Statement
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party reacted strongly to the opposition's absence, roundly criticizing Congress for boycotting a national festival. Senior BJP leaders asserted that skipping such a significant event displayed a lack of respect for national celebrations and accused Congress of needlessly politicizing constitutional functions. BJP leader RP Singh specifically targeted the justification provided for Kharge's absence, remarking, "Kharge climbs the stairs at Parliament's Makar Dwar every day." He questioned why walking presented an issue at the Red Fort when the Congress president routinely navigates the steps at Parliament, alleging that the opposition was creating excuses to politicize the national event.
