Now Reading: Rahul Gandhi to sit after ministers at Red Fort on I-Day
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Rahul Gandhi to sit after ministers at Red Fort on I-Day
Defence secretary RK Singh said on Monday that leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi has been invited to the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on August 15 and will be seated…
The Story in Brief
Defence secretary RK Singh said on Monday that leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi has been invited to the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on August 15 and will be seated immediately after Union Cabinet ministers, as per the Table of Precedence. The clarification comes after Congress criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year over Gandhi's seating in the 'fifth row', calling it a display of 'pettiness' and a disregard for democratic norms.
According to the Warrant of Precedence issued by the President's Secretariat, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha has a rank equivalent to that of a Cabinet minister. The Table of Precedence, which applies to state and ceremonial occasions including national events, is based on constitutional rank and office, not political affiliation. Congress had also objected to Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge being seated in the third row during the Republic Day celebrations earlier this year.
The Indian Opinion
Rahul Gandhi's placement in the fifth row last year was two rows short of his Cabinet minister rank. The defence secretary's promise that the Table of Precedence will be followed this year is a welcome consistency. Now watch if the actual seating on August 15 matches the promise and ends the yearly sniping over protocol as a political weapon.
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
