Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the Independence Day festivities at the Red Fort, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his customary address on Saturday, August 15.
Also Read I ‘Urdu mein Tiranga pehna’: Congress’ ‘Ireland’ dig at PM Modi’s Independence Day pocket square the connection can likely be made to a controversy that took place during the 2024 Independence Day celebration at Red Fort While no Congress leader attributed any reason to the leaders’ absence this time.
Tensions over seating arrangements at official events have long been a point of contention between the governing and opposition parties. Union Minister Giriraj Singh too slammed the Opposition for skipping the event. “I think this is a childish act. “If you do not attend such an important occasion, people will not view you favourably. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh , in turn, attacked the prime minister for his comments. “First he called his opponents ‘urban naxals’. Now he calls them ‘dimaagi naxals’. It is a sure sign of his desperation.
Track Independence Day live updates here The controversy first came to light in the 2024 ceremony when Gandhi was seated in the fifth row as opposed to the protocol of seating the Leader of Opposition in the first row with other cabinet leaders. Both Gandhi and Kharge skipped the event this year due to their concern regarding improper protocol and seating arrangements, according to an India Today report.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari attacked the Opposition for skipping the event by using a statement from the Prime Minister’s address, labelling Gandhi and Kharge as a part of the “Dimagi Naxal” ecosystem. It does not befit the position they hold, especially when the country is celebrating Independence Day,” he said. It is a separate matter that he ends up doing whatever these so-called ‘urban naxals’ or now ‘dimaagi naxals’ are demanding or advocating,” he said in a post on X.
