Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was seen sitting in the second last row with the Olympic medallists at the Independence Day event in Red Fort.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in marking the 78th Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, visuals of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi sitting in the second last row with Olympic medallists sparked chatter on social media. It was for the first time in a decade that a Leader of the Opposition was present at Red Fort for the Independence Day celebrations.
Wearing a white kurta-pyjama, Rahul Gandhi was seen sitting beside India’s hockey team forward Gurjant Singh.
The front rows were occupied by Olympic medallists such as Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh. Members of the Olympic-bronze-winning hockey team, including its captain Harmanpreet Singh and PR Sreejesh, were also seated ahead of Rahul Gandhi.
As per protocol, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, whose rank is equivalent to that of a Cabinet Minister, is always assigned a seat in the front row. The front row was occupied by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Amit Shah and S Jaishankar.
Notably, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s seat was also in the fifth row. However, Kharge did not turn up.
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SAID
With Rahul Gandhi’s seating arrangement triggering chatter on social media, sources in the Ministry of Defence said the Congress MP had to be shifted back as the front rows were allocated to the Olympic medal winners. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for conducting the Independence Day event and making the seating plans. Sources said the LoP is normally given a seat in the first few rows as per protocol.
During the BJP regime under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then LoP Sonia Gandhi, was always allocated a seat in the first row.
The post of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha has been vacant since 2014 as no party secured numbers equalling a tenth of the strength of the Lower House. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress increased its tally to 99 as the NDA returned to power with a diminished mandate.