After 2024’s fifth-row controversy, where will Rahul Gandhi sit at this year’s Red Fort event?

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi will attend this year’s Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort with the government saying his seat will be decided according to the official order of precedence.

The clarification comes after the Congress had objected to Gandhi being seated in the fifth row during the 2024 Independence Day programme. Defence Secretary RK Singh said on Monday that Gandhi has been invited to the August 15 event and will be seated immediately after Union Cabinet ministers.

“Leader of opposition has been invited, and his seating would be as per the Table of Precedence, which is exactly after Cabinet ministers,” Singh told mediapersons.

What protocol says about Leader of Opposition’s seat

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha holds a rank equivalent to that of a Union Cabinet minister under the Warrant of Precedence issued by the President’s Secretariat. The protocol is followed for ceremonial and official occasions and is based on constitutional positions rather than political affiliations.

The seating issue had become a point of political contention after the 2024 Independence Day event. The Congress had accused the government of showing “pettiness” over Gandhi’s position.

The party had also raised concerns over seating arrangements during this year’s Republic Day celebrations, claiming that Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge were placed in the third row.

Gandhi did not attend the Independence Day programme at the Red Fort in 2025.

Youth power and Vande Mataram in focus

This year’s celebrations will put the spotlight on “Yuva Shakti” and the role of young Indians in the country’s development. The Defence Ministry said the focus was planned before the recent student protests at Jantar Mantar.

Singh said the celebrations would recognise young Indians’ contribution towards the goal of a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.

The event will also mark 150 years of “Vande Mataram”. For the first time, the national song will be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

The song will be performed at the start of the programme, followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurling the national flag and the national anthem.