Rahul Gandhi's Second-Last Row Seat At Independence Day Sparks Social Media Buzz

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in celebrating the 78th Independence Day from the Red Fort, social media buzzed with images of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi seated in the second-to-last row, alongside Olympic medallists. This marked the first time in a decade that a Leader of the Opposition attended the Red Fort's Independence Day celebrations.

Dressed in a white kurta-pyjama, Rahul Gandhi was seen sitting next to India's hockey forward Gurjant Singh.

The front rows were filled with Olympic medallists like Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh. Members of the bronze-winning Olympic hockey team, including captain Harmanpreet Singh and PR Sreejesh, were also seated ahead of Rahul Gandhi.

According to protocol, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, whose rank is equivalent to that of a Cabinet Minister, is typically seated in the front row. On this occasion, the front row was occupied by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Amit Shah, and S Jaishankar.

GOVERNMENT'S EXPLANATION

Following the social media chatter about Rahul Gandhi's seating arrangement, sources in the Ministry of Defence clarified that the Congress MP was moved back because the front rows were reserved for Olympic medal winners. The Ministry of Defence, which oversees the Independence Day event and seating arrangements, noted that while the LoP is usually placed in the first few rows according to protocol, the decision was made to honor the athletes.

During the BJP regime under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then LoP Sonia Gandhi was always given a front-row seat.

The post of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha has been vacant since 2014, as no party secured the required one-tenth strength of the Lower House. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress increased its tally to 99 seats, though the NDA returned to power with a reduced mandate.

In the 2014 and 2019 elections, Congress won 44 and 52 seats respectively in the 543-member House, which did not qualify them for the Leader of the Opposition post.