Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the Independence Day festivities at the Red Fort, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his customary address on Saturday, August 15.
This is the second time in a row that the two leaders were missing from the event.
While no Congress leader attributed any reason to the leaders' absence this time, the connection can likely be made to a controversy that took place during the 2024 Independence Day celebration at Red Fort.
Deep Dive
What was the reason for Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge skipping the Independence Day celebrations?
How have Congress leaders reacted to the seating arrangements at official events?
What did Prime Minister Modi mean by 'dimagi Naxals' in his Independence Day speech?
The LoP was seated in the second last row that year as opposed to the tradition of being seated in the front row during ceremonial events alongside senior ministers.
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Why did Rahul Gandhi skip I-Day celebrations?
Tensions over seating arrangements at official events have long been a point of contention between the governing and opposition parties. According to an India Today report, both Gandhi and Kharge skipped the event this year due to their concern regarding improper protocol and seating arrangements. Track Independence Day live updates here
{{/usCountry}}Tensions over seating arrangements at official events have long been a point of contention between the governing and opposition parties. According to an India Today report, both Gandhi and Kharge skipped the event this year due to their concern regarding improper protocol and seating arrangements. Track Independence Day live updates here
{{/usCountry}}The controversy first came to light in the 2024 ceremony when Gandhi was seated in the fifth row as opposed to the protocol of seating the Leader of Opposition in the first row with other cabinet leaders.
Officials from the defence ministry and otherwise had suggested that the move was made in order to accommodate Olympic medal winners in the front rows, as HT previously reported.
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The Congress leadership has repeatedly alleged mistreatment of party members at official events, alleging that Gandhi and Kharge had been seated at the third row during this year's Republic Day celebrations as well.
Seating arrangements at official events are typically governed by the table of precedence which positions attendees in relation to their rank rather than political affiliations. As per the latest table published by the Ministry of Home Affairs on its official website, the leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are placed at the seventh rank along with union cabinet ministers, state chief ministers, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission and all former Prime Ministers.
BJP-Congress feud
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari attacked the Opposition for skipping the event by using a statement from the Prime Minister's address, labelling Gandhi and Kharge as a part of the "Dimagi Naxal" ecosystem.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a reference to this term in his August 15 address from the Red Fort by stating, “We have succeeded in getting rid of armed Naxals in the jungles, but the 'dimaagi Naxals' are looking for opportunities to create violence, unrest.... They want to drag the society on the wrong path. These intellectual Naxals have to be identified and isolated.”
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Union Minister Giriraj Singh too slammed the Opposition for skipping the event. “I think this is a childish act. It does not befit the position they hold, especially when the country is celebrating Independence Day,” he said. "If you do not attend such an important occasion, people will not view you favourably.
“Today, Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister, but when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in the Opposition, he too used to attend the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort,” he added.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in turn, attacked the prime minister for his comments. “First he called his opponents 'urban naxals'. Now he calls them 'dimaagi naxals'. It is a sure sign of his desperation. It is a separate matter that he ends up doing whatever these so-called 'urban naxals' or now 'dimaagi naxals' are demanding or advocating,” he said in a post on X.
“It is not for nothing that the PM has a MA being the 'Master Abuser' in Entire Political Science that he is."