VVIPs, not 5th row: President's office clarifies on Sharad Pawar seat row at PM's oath
New Delhi, June 05: The Rashtrapati Bhavan has clarified on the controversy surrounding Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar skipping Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on May 30.
In a tweet, Ashok Malik, Press Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind stated that Pawar's seat was designated in the first row of the VVIP section and not fifth.
At the swearing-in ceremony on May 30, Mr Sharad Pawar was invited to the "V section", where the most senior guests sat. Even within "V", he had a labelled first row seat. Somebody in his office may have confused V (for VVIP) for the Roman V (five) https://t.co/pY6WaqlfQ3
— Ashok Malik (@MalikAshok) June 5, 2019
"At the swearing-in ceremony on May 30, Sharad Pawar was invited to the "V section", where the most senior guests sat. Even within "V", he had a labelled first row seat. Somebody in his office may have confused V (for VVIP) for the Roman V (five)," Malik said in a tweet.
This clarification is being issued following inaccurate reports such as the one linked above, as well as some media queries we have received today.
According to various media reports, Pawar boycotted the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan after he found he had been allotted a seat in the fifth row.
After
he
received
the
invitation,
his
office
stated
that
it
should
be
changed
since
he
heads
a
national
party
and
was
CM
and
Union
defence
and
agriculture
minister.
The
seat
number
was
then
changed
but
the
row
stayed
the
same.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his council of ministers were sworn in for a second term on May 30 at a grand-ceremony organised in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan.