A political slugfest broke out between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress after the latter raised objections over the seating of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress President
Mallikarjun Kharge at the Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla slammed the grand old party and accused it of placing “entitlement and ego” above constitutional norms. He further said that the Lok Sabha LoP considers himself the “owner of India”. He said that seating at official events is decided according to the Warrant (Order) of Precedence and not political status.
“Once again Congress puts Entitlement & Ego Parivar and Position Above People. They feel Parivar Tantra is above Sanvidhan Tantra. Seating is decided by a set format – Warrant or Table of Precedence,” he said in a post on X.
Once again Congress puts
Entitlement & Ego
Parivar and Position
Above PeopleThey feel Parivar Tantra is above Sanvidhan Tantra
Seating is decided by a set format – Warrant or Table of Precedence
One can see even senior cabinet ministers around or even behind Rahul Gandhi… https://t.co/LFIkagXtrB pic.twitter.com/xvmt5jLtsR
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) January 26, 2026
The BJP leader said that several senior cabinet ministers were seated around or behind Rahul Gandhi, but none of them raised objections. He also questioned Rahul Gandhi’s absence from several official events, including the Vice-President’s oath-taking and Independence Day celebrations.
“One can see even senior cabinet ministers around or even behind Rahul Gandhi but none of them made it an issue. Rahul thinks he is the owner of India? By the way why does he bunk important programs. Where was he during VP Oath? CJI Oath? I-Day program?” he added.
His response came after Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala raised objections over the party leaders’ seating at the iconic parade.
In a post on X, Surjewala shared images showing Rahul Gandhi and Kharge seated in the third row, alleging a breach of protocol and decorum.
“Does such treatment of the Leader of Opposition meet any standard of decorum, tradition or protocol? This reflects the frustration of a government suffering from an inferiority complex,” Surjewala said, adding that while political differences are natural in a democracy, the treatment meted out to Rahul Gandhi was “unacceptable”.
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 president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, was later seen seated in the front row alongside Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
What’s The Protocol?
According to established protocol, seating at state ceremonies such as the Republic Day parade is determined by the Warrant (Order) of Precedence, which ranks dignitaries based on constitutional and official positions rather than political affiliation. The list is issued by the President’s Secretariat and maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
While Leaders of Opposition in both Houses are included in the precedence list and enjoy senior status, they rank below the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Union Cabinet ministers and certain constitutional authorities.
Earlier Controversy
This is not the first time seating arrangements at the Republic Day parade have triggered political controversy. In 2018, the Congress had objected to Rahul Gandhi being seated in the fourth to sixth rows, calling it “cheap politics”. Following the debate, he was allotted a front-row seat at the 2019 Republic Day parade.
