4 months ago
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The Congress connected Monday (January 26, 2026) accused the BJP authorities of insulting the Leaders of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, by seating them successful the 3rd enactment during the Republic Day parade lawsuit astatine Kartavya Path.
Sharing pictures of their leaders seated successful the backmost rows during the ceremony, respective Congress leaders raised questions implicit the "protocol mess-up" and propriety.
Congress main Kharge was archetypal seen seated successful the 3rd enactment on with Rahul Gandhi. Later, helium was moved to the beforehand enactment adjacent to erstwhile Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Sharing the representation of Rahul Gandhi and Mr. Kharge seated successful the 3rd row, Congress person Randeep Surjewala said connected X, "Does specified attraction of the person of the absorption successful the state conscionable the standards of immoderate decorum, tradition, and protocol?" "This lone reveals the vexation of a authorities plagued by an inferiority complex.
"In a democracy, differences volition persist, but this attraction meted retired to Shri Rahul Gandhi is unacceptable," Mr. Surjewala said successful his station successful Hindi.
Congress person Vivek Tankha excessively shared the representation connected X, saying, "This is sheer deficiency of protocol and grace !! May beryllium excessively overmuch to expect successful contiguous times !! #RahulGandhi #Khargeji".
"The mode absorption leaders were treated during the Republic Day celebrations, I don't expect thing amended from the enactment presently successful powerfulness successful today's environment. It's unfortunate that ideology gets wounded implicit these petty actions of the ruling party," Mr. Tankha said successful different post.
The BJP, however, said the Congress has erstwhile again enactment entitlement and 'parivar' supra radical and asked wherefore Mr. Gandhi had earlier skipped important events similar the oath-taking of the Vice President and the Chief Justice of India.
Mr. Gandhi's seating arrangements during the Republic Day and Independence Day functions person led to controversies successful the past also.
In his video message, Mr. Tankha said seeing Mr. Gandhi sitting successful the 3rd row, helium felt amazed and sad. He said helium does not callback akin attraction meted retired to Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley erstwhile they were Leader of the Opposition.
"Both Kharge ji and Rahul ji person a peculiar spot successful Indian authorities and by making them beryllium successful the backmost rows is not an insult to them but to the nation. You are insulting the Constitutional institutions," Mr. Tankha said.
"Expecting respect from the BJP authorities seems similar an impossibility, arsenic these things travel if 1 keeps specified institutions successful precocious esteem and has fought the conflict for protecting ideology and participated successful the state movement," the Rajya Sabha MP noted.
Congress person and the party's whip successful Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore, shared different representation from the past erstwhile L K Advani was seated successful the beforehand enactment on with his daughter. Several Union Ministers and Sonia Gandhi were besides seen sitting successful the aforesaid enactment successful the photograph.
"This was successful 2014; look astatine wherever LK Advani ji was seated then. Why this protocol mess-up now? Is it due to the fact that Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah privation to insult Kharge ji and Rahul ji? "Leaders of the Opposition cannot beryllium insulted similar this, particularly connected Republic Day," Mr. Tagore said successful his post.
Sitting back, BJP nationalist spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said connected X, "Once again Congress puts entitlement and ego, parivar and presumption supra people".
"They consciousness Parivar Tantra is supra Sanvidhan Tantra. Seating is decided by a acceptable format - Warrant oregon Table of Precedence. One tin spot adjacent elder furniture ministers astir oregon adjacent down Rahul Gandhi but nary of them made it an issue," Mr. Poonawala said successful his post.
"Rahul thinks helium is the proprietor of India? By the way, wherefore does helium bunk important programmes? Where was helium during the VP Oath? CJI Oath? I-Day programme?" the BJP person asked.
