Girish Chodankar, a prominent Congress leader and CWC member from Goa, expressed his strong disapproval of the seating arrangements for Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, during the Independence Day celebration on Thursday. Chodankar labeled the incident as a clear display of petty politics and a blatant disregard for the constitutional position held by the Leader of the Opposition.
Chodankar highlighted the fact that despite Rahul Gandhi’s position being equivalent to that of a Cabinet minister, he was unjustly seated in the 5th row, while other ministers such as Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Jaishankar were given front-row seats. “This deliberate snub, likely orchestrated by the Prime Minister, is a clear attempt to humiliate Rahul Gandhi for his vocal stance on people’s issues,” he said.
The Congress leader dismissed the Defence Ministry’s explanation, which prioritized seating for Olympians, as unconvincing and unacceptable. Chodankar further pointed out that the relegation of other leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge to the 5th row raises additional questions about the government’s motives behind the seating arrangement.
Chodankar called upon the Prime Minister and the BJP to acknowledge that Rahul Gandhi stands above petty politics and cannot be humiliated without his consent. He emphasized that such tactics will not deter the Leader of the Opposition from raising his voice on issues that concern the people. “We condemn this unacceptable behavior and demand an explanation from the government for this deliberate disrespect to the Leader of the Opposition,” Chodankar concluded
