Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge did not attend the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on Saturday, August 15. Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his traditional address during the event, which marks a significant occasion in India’s calendar.
The Congress leadership has repeatedly alleged mistreatment of party members at official events, alleging that Gandhi and Kharge had been seated at the third row during this year’s Republic Day celebrations as well. Earlier reporting noted: In 2024, a controversy erupted during the Independence Day celebrations when Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and enjoys the status of a Cabinet minister, sat in the second last row – in a departure from tradition and protocol – for the programme at the Red Fort.
Earlier reporting noted: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, for the second year in a row, skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Red Fort. Earlier reporting noted: The Opposition called the allocation of the seat to the Congress MP an insult to the people, even as the Defence Ministry, which organised the event, argued that the arrangement was tweaked to accommodate Olympians on the premises.
Tensions over seating arrangements at official events have long been a point of contention between the governing and opposition parties. Seating arrangements at official events are typically governed by the table of precedence which positions attendees in relation to their rank rather than political affiliations. As per the latest table published by the Ministry of Home Affairs on its official website, the leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are placed at the seventh rank along with union cabinet ministers, state chief ministers, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission and all former Prime Ministers. Union Minister Giriraj Singh too slammed the Opposition for skipping the event. “I think this is a childish act. “If you do not attend such an important occasion, people will not view you favourably. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh , in turn, attacked the prime minister for his comments. “First he called his opponents ‘urban naxals’. Now he calls them ‘dimaagi naxals’. It is a sure sign of his desperation.
Both Gandhi and Kharge skipped the event this year due to their concern regarding improper protocol and seating arrangements, according to an India Today report. Track Independence Day live updates here The controversy first came to light in the 2024 ceremony when Gandhi was seated in the fifth row as opposed to the protocol of seating the Leader of Opposition in the first row with other cabinet leaders.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari attacked the Opposition for skipping the event by using a statement from the Prime Minister’s address, labelling Gandhi and Kharge as a part of the “Dimagi Naxal” ecosystem. It does not befit the position they hold, especially when the country is celebrating Independence Day,” he said. It is a separate matter that he ends up doing whatever these so-called ‘urban naxals’ or now ‘dimaagi naxals’ are demanding or advocating,” he said in a post on X.
