Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation from the historic ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of Independence Day 2024. However, the event also drew attention for an unexpected reason—visuals of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, seated in the second last row with Olympic medallists. This marked the first time in a decade that a Leader of the Opposition attended the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, making the seating arrangement particularly notable.
Rahul Gandhi, dressed in a traditional white kurta-pyjama, was seen sitting beside Gurjant Singh, a forward for India’s national hockey team. Notably, the front rows were occupied by prominent Olympic medallists such as shooter Manu Bhaker and marksman Sarabjot Singh. Other members of India’s Olympic-bronze-winning hockey team, including captain Harmanpreet Singh and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, were also seated ahead of Gandhi.
Traditionally, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, a position that holds the same rank as a Cabinet Minister, is allocated a seat in the front row during such high-profile national events. On this occasion, the front row featured Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Amit Shah, and S. Jaishankar.
Rahul Gandhi’s seating arrangement quickly became a topic of discussion on social media, with many questioning why the Leader of the Opposition was not seated in the front row as per protocol. Sources within the Ministry of Defense, which is responsible for organizing the Independence Day celebrations and managing the seating arrangements, explained that the decision to seat Gandhi further back was made to accommodate the Olympic medal winners in the front rows. According to these sources, while the Leader of the Opposition is generally seated in the first few rows, the presence of the Olympic medallists took precedence in this year’s seating plan.
