Republic Day 2018: Rahul Gandhi relegated to sixth row at Delhi's Janpath, Congress slams 'cheap politics'

Congress fumed after Rahul Gandhi was relegated to the sixth row during the Republic Day parade at Delhi’s Rajpath. Congress sources said the party president had always been seated in the front row since Independence.

The 47-year-old was seen in the sixth row Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad while BJP President Amit Shah and senior leader LK Advani were seen in the front row.

A Congress leader had yesterday alleged that by not allocating a seat to the Congress president in the front row, the Modi government was resorting to "cheap politics".

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala tweeted: “The arrogant rulers deliberately seated Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the fourth row, then sixth row, on Republic Day, discarding all convention. For us celebrating the Republic is above all," he tweeted.

Rahul Gandhi's mother Sonia has always been seated in the front row during her 19-year tenure as Congress president. 

However that doesn't stop us from celebrating this great day and one can see @officeofRG sitting and joining in the celebration from the 6th row. Such pettiness won't break us, will only strengthen our resolve. Vande Mataram. Jai Hind.

— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) January 26, 2018

मोदी सरकार की ओछी राजनीति जग ज़ाहिर!

कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष श्री राहुल गांधी को गणतंत्र दिवस के राष्ट्रीय पर्व पर अंहकारी शासकों ने सारी परंपराओं को दरकिनार करके पहले चौथी पंक्ति और फिर छठी पंक्ति में जानबूझकर बिठाया।

हमारे लिये संविधान का उत्सव ही सर्व प्रथम है। pic.twitter.com/8bRi017G8J

— Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) January 26, 2018

Amid an unprecedented security cover, celebrations for the 69th Republic Day began on the Rajpath here today in the presence of the leaders of 10 ASEAN nations who are attending the event as chief guests.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tributes to the martyrs by laying a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti in the presence of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the three service chiefs.

Later Modi, wearing a saffron, red and green coloured safa, reached the Rajpath and received and greeted President Ram Nath Kovind.

Most of the ministers of the Modi government including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Health Minister J P Nadda, Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan were among those present on the occasion.

BJP president Amit Shah was present too.

The ASEAN leaders, here to attend the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit, are the chief guests at the Republic Day parade which was termed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "historic and unprecedented".

The ASEAN, founded in 1967, comprises Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei.

The ASEAN leaders attending the parade are Singaporean Premier Lee Hsien Loong Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Thailand's Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Lao PDR's Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith.

Twenty-three tableaux, including those representing various states, ministries, the All India Radio (AIR) among others, will roll down the Rajpath.

Public broadcaster Doordarshan has 38 cameras installed for the coverage of the celebrations. For the first time, six cameras have been deployed for coverage beyond India Gate.

The parade commenced amid a heavy security blanket with thousands of security personnel, anti-aircraft guns and sharpshooters deployed in view of the event being attended by ASEAN leaders.

Cold weather conditions and dense fog failed to dampen the spirits of those who came to watch the parade.

With inputs from PTI