Independence Day 2025: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Party Leader Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the 79th Independence Day celebration at Red Fort on Friday, prompting speculations about the reason for their absence at the national celebration. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla, took a swipe at MP Gandhi for his absence on the August 15th Program at the Red Fort. Though the opposition party has not issued a statement yet, sources suggest that Gandhi missed the celebrations as he was upset with the seating arrangement last year.

“Congress spokesperson in TV debate with me just now confirmed that 'LoP' Rahul Gandhi skipped the 15th August Program at Red Fort. This was a national celebration but sadly Lover of Pakistan Rahul Gandhi - in Modi virodh does Desh & Sena Virodh! Shameful behaviour. Is this Sanvidhan and Sena ka Samman,” Poonawalla wrote in a post on X.

Why Did Rahul Gandhi Skip Red Fort Celebration On August 15?

Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the 79th Independence Day celebration at Red Fort today. Their absence has sparked debates and speculations, with a BJP spokesperson hitting out at Gandhi for missing the national celebration. However, there is no statement either from the opposition party or from the two leaders about their absence, but sources suggest that Mr Gandhi gave the event a miss after he was upset with the seating arrangement last year, NDTV reported.

Last year, a controversy broke out during the Independence Day celebration when the Leader of the Opposition, MP Rahul Gandhi, sat in the second last row, in a departure from tradition and protocol. Following this, the Opposition called the allocation of seats to Congress MP an ‘insult to the people.’ However, the Defence Ministry, which organised the event, said that the arrangements were tweaked to accommodate Olympic medalists.

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According to the protocol, the Leader of the Opposition should be seated in the front row during ceremonial events. The row was occupied by the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Amit Shah and S Jaishankar, and others during the Independence Day celebrations.

Last year, Gandhi was seated in the fifth row, behind the Indian Olympic medalists, including Star Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh, Indian Captain Harmanpreet Singh and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.

Following the controversy, sources in the Defence Ministry said that seating arrangements in ceremonial events follow a protocol, and last year, it was decided to honour Olympic medalists. As per the protocol, Union Ministers were also seen seated behind Olympic medalists.

Rahul Gandhi Extends I-Day Greetings To Citizens

Extending his greetings to citizens on Independence Day, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “his freedom, achieved through the sacrifices of great freedom fighters, is a resolve to build an India where justice rests on the foundation of truth and equality, and every heart is filled with respect and brotherhood. It is the duty of all of us to protect the pride and honour of this precious heritage. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!”

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“Independence Day is a solemn occasion to rededicate ourselves to values of Freedom, Justice, Equality and Fraternity, cherished by our Democracy,” Kharge wrote.