Congress Fumes Over Rahul Gandhi's 3rd Row R-Day Seat. What The Rules Say

Leaders of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, attended the Republic Day parade function at Delhi's Kartavya Path today. However, their seats in the third row have provided the Congress with fresh ammunition to attack the Centre. The party alleges the seating is a breach of protocol and has also dug out a photo from 2014 to bolster its case.

Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala was scathing in his criticism of the government. "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 in a post on X.

क्या देश के विपक्ष के नेता के साथ ऐसा व्यवहार किसी मर्यादा, परंपरा और प्रोटोकॉल के मापदंड पर खरा उतरता है ?

ये केवल हीन भावना से ग्रस्त सरकार की कुंठा दिखाता है ।

प्रजातंत्र में मतभेद रहेंगे मगर श्री @RahulGandhi के साथ किया जाने वाला ये व्यवहार अस्वीकार्य है। pic.twitter.com/b4mdU9BU7G

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) January 26, 2026

Congress MP Manickam Tagore alleged that it was "intentionally done by the BJP" to "insult" Rahul Gandhi. Sharing a photo from 2014, he pointed to the seating of LK Advani, asking: "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?"

LK Advani was neither the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha nor the Lok Sabha in 2014. However, Arun Jaitley, also seen in the front row in the archival photo, was the LoP in the Rajya Sabha. Sushma Swaraj served as the LoP in the Lok Sabha at that time.

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.#RepublicDay https://t.co/1zUMsILyDX pic.twitter.com/tPOlpaGKTG

— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) January 26, 2026

What Is The 'Protocol'?

While the Centre has yet to formally respond to the allegations, seating at state ceremonies is strictly allotted according to the Table of Precedence issued by the President's Secretariat.

Leaders of the Opposition rank 7th in the order of precedence, following the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Governors, former Presidents, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers, and former Prime Ministers.

The BJP has hit out at the Congress for "politicising" the event. "Rahul Gandhi is not worried about sitting in the third row; he is trying to deflect from being caught on his phone while the country was celebrating the Brahmos missiles at Kartavya Path," BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari posted on X.

"Rahul Gandhi is not worried that he sat in the third row; he is trying to deflect when he was caught busy on his phone, when the country was celebrating Brahmos in the defence line-up at Kartavya Path," BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari posted on X.

The latest row has also brought back memories of the last Republic Day, when the BJP had slammed Kharge and Gandhi for skipping the event.

BJP's Amit Malviya, in a post on X, wrote, "For the record, the self-proclaimed guardians of the Constitution - Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge - were notably absent from the Republic Day programme."

This year's 77th Republic Day parade was witnessed by Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen, the top two leaders of the European Union, who served as Chief Guests. They watched the military parade and cultural performances alongside President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, members of the Union Cabinet, and foreign diplomats. This marks the first time two top EU leaders have jointly attended India's Republic Day celebrations as Chief Guests.