Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge skip Red Fort I-Day event for second year in a row, BJP calls it 'childish'
Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the Red Fort Independence Day celebrations for the second year in a row. Sources cited protocol and seating concerns, while the BJP criticised their absence.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge did not attend the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort this year, continuing a two-year tradition of their absence. The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Leader of Oppositions cited concerns about protocol and seating arrangements as the reason for their non-participation.
The BJP branded their absence as "childish" and questioned the propriety of a Leader of Opposition skipping a national ceremony. The Congress argued that tradition dictates the Leader of Opposition should occupy a front-row seat alongside senior government officials. The controversy echoes a disagreement from the previous year, when Rahul Gandhi's seating arrangement was also disputed.
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