Sipu Jha
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday accused the Centre of violating established protocol and undermining democratic decorum after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge were seated in the third row during the Republic Day celebrations. The incident has triggered sharp reactions from senior party leaders.Leading the criticism, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala questioned whether the seating arrangement met constitutional and institutional norms. In a post on X, Surjewala said the treatment reflected the government’s mindset rather than protocol.“Does such treatment of the Leader of the Opposition in the country meet the standards of any decorum, tradition, and protocol? This only reveals the frustration of a government plagued by an inferiority complex. In a democracy, differences will persist, but this treatment meted out to Shri Rahul Gandhi is unacceptable,” he wrote. Other Congress leaders echoed similar concerns, arguing that the decision diminished the dignity of constitutional offices. Congress MP Manickam Tagore said the issue went beyond seating and reflected the government’s political approach.“Until 2014, opposition leaders like Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and L K Advani always sat there. This is a very low level of politics by the government. Opposition leaders being insulted on Republic Day is unacceptable. Republic Day is the day when we all should be united and celebrate India’s achievements that year,” he said. Senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi said both Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge held key constitutional positions and deserved front-row seating.“Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Mallikarjun Kharge is not only the Congress president but also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. They should have been given seats in the front row. The BJP is constantly playing with the dignity of Congress leaders,” he said. Congress leader Kumari Selja linked the controversy to a broader disregard for constitutional norms.“Protocols hold great significance. The country takes pride in the Republic Day parade, where we celebrate our democracy and the republic,” she said, alleging that the government repeatedly sought to belittle the office of the Leader of Opposition.
Protocol and seating norms
The Leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are placed alongside union cabinet ministers in the official Table of Precedence, which governs protocol at national functions such as Republic Day.According to the Warrant of Precedence issued by the President’s Secretariat, seating arrangements at state and ceremonial occasions are decided based on constitutional rank and office and not political affiliation.The Order of Precedence is a protocol list that applies to state and ceremonial occasions, including national events such as the Republic Day celebrations and has no application in the day-to-day functioning of the government.Under Article 7 of the Table of Precedence, the Leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are placed alongside Union Cabinet ministers, after the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of India and former Prime Ministers.
BJP hits back
Rejecting the Congress’s allegations, the BJP said the seating arrangement at the Republic Day celebrations was decided strictly according to established protocol. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, in a post on X, launched a sharp attack on the Congress, accusing it of placing entitlement and family-centric politics above constitutional norms.“Once again Congress puts entitlement & ego, parivar and position above people. They feel parivar tantra is above sanvidhan tantra. Seating is decided by a set format – Warrant or Table of Precedence. One can see even senior Cabinet ministers around or even behind Rahul Gandhi but none of them made it an issue,” Poonawalla wrote. He also questioned Rahul Gandhi’s attendance at major constitutional events in the past.“Rahul thinks he is the owner of India? By the way why does he bunk important programs. Where was he during VP oath? CJI oath? I-Day program?” BJP’s national spokesperson further wrote.The BJP has previously criticised Gandhi for skipping the oath-taking of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, alleging that such absences showed disregard for constitutional occasions. The party has also flagged Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge’s absence from the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort last year, though both leaders had issued Independence Day messages on social media.
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