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Class Vs Crass: Criticism Over Rahul Gandhi's Seating 

Against the protocol that the LoP is usually given a seat in the first few rows due to the cabinet equivalent rank, Rahul Gandhi's seat was placed in the last row with India's Olympic contingent.

Rahul Gandhi - Independence Day Edited by Updated: Aug 15, 2024, 6:44 pm
Class Vs Crass: Criticism Over Rahul Gandhi's Seating 

Class vs Crass: Criticism Over Rahul Gandhi's Seating (Photo @RoshanKrRaii)

During the 78th Independence Day celebrations, a seating arrangement allotted for the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, has been fuming on social media. Usually, the LoP is given a seat in the first few rows due to the cabinet equivalent rank, but, against the protocol, Rahul Gandhi’s seat was placed in the last row with India’s Olympic contingent, sparking fresh outrage among Congress workers and the public.

The Congress leader was seen sitting beside the hockey team and other athletes in the second-last row at the Red Fort event. Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Amit Shah, S. Jaishankar, and Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud were found seated in the front row.

Read also: Prime Minister Modi’s Independence Day Speech: 10 Key Highlights

As a LoP, Rahul Gandhi’s seat should be in the front row, as per the protocol, and the government’s approach towards the opposition leader has been met with strong criticism. Several people shared pictures of the Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort when the Congress was in power, highlighting that the senior BJP leaders were given the front-row seats. Noting that the BJP gave a last-row seat to the incumbent leader of opposition, an X user, Roshan Rai, wrote, “This is the difference between class and crass.”

Registering protest over the Union government’s seating arrangement for the opposition leader, Amockxi FC, another user asked the BJP to remember that the incumbent government would go one day and the Congress leader will sit there as Indian’s Prime Minister.

Read Also: India Will Be Among Top 3 Economies In 5 Years: PM Modi Lists Out Government’s Schemes And Initiatives In Independence Day Speech

All India Congress Committee secretary B. M. Sandeep reminded the government that the public is watching everything and they will answer this. “Why was the Leader of Opposition, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, made to sit in the 5th row during the Independence Day celebrations? The status of the Leader of the Opposition is equal to that of a Cabinet Minister. All the other ministers were sitting in the first row. The public is watching everything, and only the public will answer this,” Sandeep wrote in his X handle. 
Notably, it was the first in ten years that an opposition leader was present at the Republic Day celebration at Red Fort, as the post remained vacant and no opposition party won the seats needed to appoint an opposition leader. After Congress won 99 seats during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party appointed Rahul Gandhi as the LoP.

 

 

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criticism Independence Day Celebration leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi Rahul Gandhi - Independence Day Red Fort seating arrangment second last row

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