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‘Is Rajnath Singh taking revenge?’: Row over LoP Rahul Gandhi's Red Fort seating
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was seen sitting behind a few rows of seats, which were occupied by Olympic medallists.
The Congress party on Thursday intensified its attack on the ruling BJP after Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was seated in the back row at Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on Thursday.
In a social media post on X, Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera wondered whether Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was taking “revenge for getting cornered” by Rahul Gandhi on the Agniveer issue.
“Or is it the typical small mindedness of @PMOIndia?” Khera said.
“I clearly remember BJP leaders were made to sit in the front or the second row when UPA was in power. Anyway, the more you show your smallness towards Rahul ji, the larger the space he occupies in the hearts of the people,” the Congress leader added.
Rahul Gandhi was seated in the fifth row and, according to a PTI report, LoP Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge was also allotted the seat next to him but the Congress president didn't attend the function.
This seating arrangement has sparked outrage within the Congress, with leaders accusing the BJP of disrespecting democratic traditions.
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The visuals from the Independence Day event showed Gandhi, who has a rank equivalent to a cabinet minister, sitting in the second last row, even behind the Olympic medallists who were invited as special guests.
Union ministers Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and S Jaishankar were among those seated in the front row.
Govt response
"The Defence Ministry followed the protocol table of precedence. This year, it was decided to honour the Olympic winners," ANI quoted Defence Ministry sources as saying.
Rubbishing the clarification, Congress spokesperson Shupriya Shrinate said, “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?”
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Shrinate said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a person with a "petty mindset" and he keeps on giving proof.
"It is futile to expect big things from small-minded people. Narendra Modi certainly showed his frustration by making Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi sit in the fifth row during the Independence Day celebrations, but this did not make any difference to Rahul Gandhi and he will keep raising issues of the people as he has been doing," Supriya Shrinate said in a video statement on X.
"However, it shows that you and your government do not have any respect for democracy, democratic traditions and the Leader of Opposition," she added.
Congress leader Vivek Tankha said in a post on X, "Why is MoD (Ministry of Defence) acting so petty!! Rahul Gandhi, the LoP Lok Sabha, seated on 4th row. LoP is higher than any Cabinet minister. He is next to prime minister in Lok Sabha."
"Rajnath Singh ji , you can't allow MoD to politicise national functions!! Not expected from you Rajnath ji," he added.
