A heated argument continued between the BJP and Congress on Tuesday over the row over seating arrangements at the Republic Day function, with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accusing the BJP of deliberately “insulting” the opposition in view of the 2016 assembly election series.
The Congress president accused the BJP of “insulting” the Constitution by making two opposition leaders sit in the third row during the programme.
He also clarified on the controversy over Assamese “gamosa” during the reception hosted by President Draupadi Murmu after the Republic Day parade.
Kharge said, “He (Rahul Gandhi) was wearing ‘gamosa’. He folded it while eating. BJP is making it an issue. They are insulting the Constitution by making two opposition leaders sit in the third row during the Republic Day parade. We also stood in the queue along with the ministers of state to meet the President of India.”
“They are deliberately insulting the opposition so much. I strongly condemn it when they (BJP) say that the Congress is doing this to insult the Northeast. They are doing this just to insult the Congress and for the upcoming elections,” he said.
Kharge said, “I am the senior most leader, how can they make me sit in the third row and with the ministers of state? You have insulted me, the Congress and the Constitution.”
Earlier, the BJP had accused Rahul Gandhi of “insulting the culture and people of the Northeast” by “not wearing the patka” despite President Draupadi Murmu’s request at the Republic Day reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma strongly condemned Rahul Gandhi, saying he had “reinforced the perception of contempt for the North.”
According to BJP leaders, everyone including President Murmu, Prime Minister Modi and foreign dignitaries wore patkas at the home welcome ceremony.
“Times may change, but the attitude of Rahul Gandhi, the de facto supreme leader of the Congress Party, appears to be regrettably unchanged. In an act of gross insensitivity and disrespect towards the people of the North-East, Rahul Gandhi did not wear the traditional patka, a symbol of the rich cultural heritage of the region, at the reception hosted by the Honorable President of India this evening,” the Assam Chief Minister said in a post on Twitter.
He wrote, “From the President and the Prime Minister to foreign dignitaries, everyone wore the patka with respect and pride. Only Mr Gandhi stood out, further reinforcing the perception of neglect towards the North East.”
He further wrote, “Such conduct explains why his party has lost the confidence of the region and much of the country. Yet, this repeated insensitivity continues.”