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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition successful Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi (Image/X)
NEW DELHI: The Congress connected Monday accused the Centre of violating established protocol and undermining antiauthoritarian decorum aft Leader of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge were seated successful the 3rd enactment during the Republic Day celebrations.
The incidental has triggered crisp reactions from elder enactment leaders.Leading the criticism, Congress person Randeep Singh Surjewala questioned whether the seating statement met law and organization norms. In a station connected X, Surjewala said the attraction reflected the government’s mindset alternatively than protocol.“Does specified attraction of the Leader of the Opposition successful the state conscionable the standards of immoderate decorum, tradition, and protocol? This lone reveals the vexation of a authorities plagued by an inferiority complex.
In a democracy, differences volition persist, but this attraction meted retired to Shri Rahul Gandhi is unacceptable,” helium wrote.
Other Congress leaders echoed akin concerns, arguing that the determination diminished the dignity of law offices. Congress MP Manickam Tagore said the contented went beyond seating and reflected the government’s governmental approach.“Until 2014, absorption leaders similar Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and L K Advani ever sat there.
This is simply a precise debased level of authorities by the government. Opposition leaders being insulted connected Republic Day is unacceptable. Republic Day is the time erstwhile we each should beryllium agreed and observe India's achievements that year,” helium said.
Senior Congress person Rashid Alvi said some Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge held cardinal law positions and deserved front-row seating.“Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of the Opposition successful the Lok Sabha, and Mallikarjun Kharge is not lone the Congress president but besides the Leader of the Opposition successful the Rajya Sabha.
They should person been fixed seats successful the beforehand row. The BJP is perpetually playing with the dignity of Congress leaders,” helium said.
Congress person Kumari Selja linked the contention to a broader disregard for law norms.“Protocols clasp large significance. The state takes pridefulness successful the Republic Day parade, wherever we observe our ideology and the republic,” she said, alleging that the authorities repeatedly sought to belittle the bureau of the Leader of Opposition.
Protocol and seating norms
The Leaders of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are placed alongside national furniture ministers successful the authoritative Table of Precedence, which governs protocol astatine nationalist functions specified arsenic Republic Day.According to the Warrant of Precedence issued by the President’s Secretariat, seating arrangements astatine authorities and ceremonial occasions are decided based connected law fertile and bureau and not governmental affiliation.The Order of Precedence is simply a protocol database that applies to authorities and ceremonial occasions, including nationalist events specified arsenic the Republic Day celebrations and has nary exertion successful the day-to-day functioning of the government.Under Article 7 of the Table of Precedence, the Leaders of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are placed alongside Union Cabinet ministers, aft the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of India and erstwhile Prime Ministers.
BJP hits back
Rejecting the Congress’s allegations, the BJP said the seating statement astatine the Republic Day celebrations was decided strictly according to established protocol. BJP nationalist spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, successful a station connected X, launched a crisp onslaught connected the Congress, accusing it of placing entitlement and family-centric authorities supra law norms.“Once again Congress puts entitlement & ego, parivar and presumption supra people.
They consciousness parivar tantra is supra sanvidhan tantra. Seating is decided by a acceptable format – Warrant oregon Table of Precedence. One tin spot adjacent elder Cabinet ministers astir oregon adjacent down Rahul Gandhi but nary of them made it an issue,” Poonawalla wrote.
He besides questioned Rahul Gandhi’s attendance astatine large law events successful the past.“Rahul thinks helium is the proprietor of India? By the mode wherefore does helium bunk important programs.
Where was helium during VP oath? CJI oath? I-Day program?” BJP's nationalist spokesperson further wrote.The BJP has antecedently criticised Gandhi for skipping the oath-taking of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, alleging that specified absences showed disregard for law occasions. The enactment has besides flagged Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge’s lack from the Independence Day celebrations astatine the Red Fort past year, though some leaders had issued Independence Day messages connected societal media.
