NEW DELHI: Absence of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, leaders of opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively, from the Independence Day event at Red Fort on Friday drew a sharp reaction from BJP which alleged that the main opposition party, Congress, has hit a “new low” with its top functionaries “insulting” the country by “boycotting” the event.Rahul had attended the programme last year but was absent this time. Kharge was absent last year as well. The Congress leadership steered clear of making a statement on the issue but sources said party heads have chosen to distance themselves from such events as they feel the governing dispensation discriminates against opposition members in terms of seating arrangements and protocol.“Even those holding constitutional positions are not shown due respect – instead of being seated in the front row, they are placed in the third row,” a source said.BJP sources refuted the charge as a “lame alibi”. “We are following the same protocol that they had put in place,” a source said. “From opposing a party to insulting the nation – every time you think Congress can’t fall further, they hit a new low,” BJP said.“Only a handful of chairs were empty at Red Fort, and no points for guessing who missed the event again,” BJP said, posting a media report on X about Rahul and Kharge skipping the official event.The stalemate over seats and protocol is not new and has seen BJP and Congress engage in a war of words with BJP members alleging in the past that during UPA era, its members were not given seats in VIP areas.