Congress vs BJP over Rahul Gandhi's Republic Day parade seat: ‘Sense of entitlement’

LOk Sabha Leader of oppositeness (LoP) Rahul Gandhi's sit at the Republic daytime march on Delhi's Kartavya course became the latest flashpoint between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the former accused the central government of violating “protocol” and "insulting".Congress leaders on Monday flagged the seating Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge at the annual Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path. MP Randeep Singh Surjewala shared an image of the two leaders seated in the third row and alleged a lack of protocol and “decorum”.“Does such treatment of the leader of the opposition in the country meet the standards of any decorum, tradition, and protocol? This only reveals the frustration of a government plagued by an inferiority complex,” he said.He said that, in a democracy, differences will persist, but this treatment meted out to Rahul Gandhi “is unacceptable”.Congress leader and the party's whip in Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore, shared another picture from the past when veteran BJP leader LK Advani was seated in the front row along with his daughter. Several Union ministers and Sonia Gandhi were also seen sitting in the same row in the photograph. "This was in 2014; look at where LK Advani ji was seated then. Why this protocol mess-up now? Is it because Modi and Shah want to insult Kharge ji and Rahul ji?"Leaders of the Opposition cannot be insulted like this, especially on Republic Day," Tagore said in his post.BJP fires backBJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala accused Congress of having a “sense of entitlement”, saying that for the party “VVIP treatment is more important than the country”.“Look at the 'sense of entitlement' of the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi. For them, dynastic rule is above democracy and the Constitution. They think the country is their personal property. They think their VVIP treatment is more important than the country,” Poonawala said.The seating arrangement at the Republic Day ceremony is decided by the President's Secretariat, he added."In that picture, you can see that our senior Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is also sitting behind Rahul Gandhi, but he didn't complain because, for him, his VVIP treatment is not more important than the country. But Rahul Gandhi thinks he should be sitting in the first row. The public will decide...," he said, speaking to ANI news agency. BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari said Rahul Gandhi isn't bothered about why he wasn't sitting in the front row, instead is bothered that he “was caught using his phone” in front" of the entire nation “when the whole country was celebrating the might of the BrahMos missile.”Pradeep Bhandari was referencing to a video from the parade in which Rahul Gandhi was seen using his phone."... This shows the country that Rahul Gandhi is an insincere politician, a leader who is concerned about which row he sits in, but not about the honour and glory of the nation advancing at the Kartavya Path... For him, the Congress party's politics come first, not the honour and respect of the country. That is why the people of the country always see Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party as acting against India's national interest," Bhandari added, speaking to ANI.Protocol violated?Congress leader Vivek Tankha too HAD shared the picture on X on Monday, saying, "This is sheer lack of protocol and grace !! May be too much to expect in present times !! #RahulGandhi #Khargeji"."The way opposition leaders were treated during the Republic Day celebrations, I don't expect anything better from the party currently in power in today's environment. It's unfortunate that democracy gets hurt over these petty actions of the ruling party," Tankha said in another post.In his video message, Tankha said seeing Rahul Gandhi sitting in the third row, he felt surprised and sad. He said he does not recall similar treatment meted out to Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley when they were Leader of the Opposition."Both Kharge ji and Rahul ji have a special place in Indian politics and by making them sit in the back rows is not an insult to them but to the nation. You are insulting the Constitutional institutions," Tankha said. "Expecting respect from the BJP government seems like an impossibility, as these things come if one keeps such institutions in high esteem and has fought the battle for protecting democracy and participated in the freedom movement," the Rajya Sabha MP said.While the protocol for seating arrangement is not publicly available, government has in the past denied Opposition's allegations that established conventions are not followed with the counter that who sits where is determined strictly by officially laid out rules.Some search on the web suggests that seating at state ceremonies such as the Republic Day parade is allotted according to the Warrant (Order) of Precedence, which ranks constitutional or official position held by dignitaries, not on political affiliation.The Warrant (Order) of Precedence is issued by the President’s Secretariat and maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).