Rahul Gandhi's presence at the Red Fort triggers a fresh attack on the BJP by Congress.

The seating arrangement at the Independence Day celebrations caused controversy when Congress's Rahul Gandhi was assigned a seat in the second last row, breaking with tradition and protocol. This sparked protests from Congress leaders and supporters on social media. The Defence Ministry, responsible for organizing the event, issued a clarification, but it did not stop the criticism.

According to protocol, the Leader of the Opposition, who holds cabinet rank, is typically seated in the front row during ceremonial events. However, this year, that row was occupied by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Amit Shah, and S Jaishankar, among others.

Rahul Gandhi was seated in the fifth row, behind Indian Olympic medalists. Star Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh, as well as hockey players including Indian Captain Harmanpreet Singh and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, were seated ahead of him.

Sources in the ministry explained that the seating arrangement at ceremonial events follows a table of precedence and protocol. They stated, "This year, it was decided to honor the Olympic Games medal winners. It may be noted that some Union Ministers were also seated behind the Olympic Games medal winners."

The Congress rejected the explanation, with senior leader KC Venugopal stating, "The Defence Ministry's explanation that it was out of 'respect for Olympians' doesn't hold up. While Olympians deserve respect, I question how Cabinet Ministers like Amit Shah or Nirmala Sitharaman get front-row seats ahead of them."

"As per protocol, the LoPs of both Houses must also be seated in the front row, but the seats for Rahul ji and INC President Shri Mallikarjun @kharge ji were in the 5th 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," Mr Venugopal added.

https://x.com/kcvenugopalmp/status/1824045226551615552

"A foolish statement has come from the defence ministry that 'this was done as we wanted to honour Olympians'. They should be honoured and so should Vinesh Phogat, but did Amit Shah, J P Nadda, S Jaishankar and Nirmala Sitharaman, not want to honour them?" said party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate.

The NDA government, led by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, allocated a seat in the front row to then Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi.