PTI photo
NEW DELHI: The 77th Republic Day celebration, besides its opulence and exuberance, witnessed a full-throttle political slugfest as political rivals, the BJP and the Congress, engaged in a no-holds-barred spat over something that connects to the poll-bound Assam. A Gamosa! Both parties trained guns at one another after the BJP alleged that Rahul Gandhi refused to wear the traditional Assamese scarf given to all the guests at a reception hosted by President Droupadi Murmu. BJP called it an insult to the northeast, with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma snubbing what he called the attitude of the “de facto supremo”.
As the BJP levelled serious charges against the Lok Sabha leader of opposition, the Congress didn’t hold a punch back, with party member Pawan Khera countring by pointing out that defence minister Rajnath Singh had also not worn the “patka (scarf)”.Calling the act deeply insensitive, Sarma alleged that the Congress leader’s decision not to wear the traditional patka reflected disregard for the region’s rich cultural heritage.BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, citing media reports, said in a post on X, “Shameful! Rahul Gandhi has insulted the north east and also disrespected our very hon’ble President.”“From the President and the Prime Minister to foreign dignitaries, everyone wore the Patka with respect and pride. Mr Gandhi alone stood apart, reinforcing a perception of disregard towards the North East,” the Assam chief minister wrote on X.Intensifying his attack, Sarma futher charged that the event explains why the Congress has “lost the trust of the region and much of the country,” adding that “this repeated insensitivity continues”.“Mr Rahul Gandhi must issue an unconditional apology to the people of the North East for this affront. The people of the region deserve respect,” Sarma said.Congress hits back with Rajnath’s photoThe Congress, however, hit back sharply. Party media and publicity department head Pawan Khera countered the BJP’s charge by posting a picture of Rajnath Singh on X and asking whether the Assam chief minister would also demand an apology from Singh for not wearing the patka.“Hey @himantabiswa, will you seek an apology from @rajnathsingh ji too? Or your entire strategy to fight anti incumbency is to pick up such non issues?” Khera asked, tagging both leaders.Congress MP Manickam Tagore also slammed the BJP, questioning why the defence minister was not targeted over the same issue.“The 2016 batch of betrayer must stop this nonsense. Why is @rajnathsingh ji not wearing the North east patka then? Stop dragging the Hon’ble President @rashtrapatibhvn into your cheap politics,” Tagore said in a post on X.‘Insult vs insult’The spat unfolded on a day the Congress also accused the NDA government of insulting the leaders of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge respectively, by seating them in the third row during the Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path.Sharing pictures of their leaders seated in the back rows, several Congress leaders alleged a “protocol mess-up” and questioned the propriety of the seating arrangement.Responding, Poonawalla accused the Congress of placing “entitlement and ego” as well as “parivar and position” above constitutional norms.“They feel ‘parivar tantra (family system)’ is above ‘sanvidhan tantra (constitutional system)’. Seating is decided by a set format — Warrant or Table of Precedence. One can see even senior cabinet ministers around or even behind Rahul Gandhi but none of them made it an issue,” he said.“Rahul thinks he is the owner of India? By the way, why does he bunk important programmes? Where was he during the VP Oath? CJI Oath? I-Day programme?” Poonawalla added.Another BJP national spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari, accused the Congress of politicising even the seating arrangements at the Republic Day event, calling Gandhi an “insincere politician”.“Shameful of the Congress to politicise even seating arrangements at Republic Day. Rahul Gandhi is an insincere politician, who chooses politics over national interest,” Bhandari charged.
