&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "India’s 80th Independence Day: Rahul Gandhi, Kharge skip PM Modi’s I-Day event again")
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (Aug 15) skipped the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the second consecutive year. The absence of the two senior Congress leaders from the 80th Independence Day celebrations triggered a political row, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticising the Congress over their decision.
Kharge, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and enjoys a rank equivalent to that of a Cabinet minister, was assigned a seat in the second or third row at the event. According to top party sources, the seating arrangement was inconvenient for Kharge as it would have required him to walk to the venue.
Kharge is expected to unfurl the Tricolour at the Congress headquarters later in the day. The Congress leadership had also skipped the Red Fort celebrations in 2025. The issue of seating arrangements had previously sparked controversy during the 2024 Independence Day celebrations.
Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and has Cabinet minister status, was seated in the second-last row, prompting objections from the Congress.
The Defence Ministry had then clarified that the seating arrangement was not targeted at Gandhi and that the front rows had been reserved for Olympians being felicitated at the event.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
‘We were once in Fragile Five’: PM Modi
Meanwhile, addressing the nation from the Red Fort on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India’s economic transformation and said the country had moved from being counted among the ‘Fragile Five’ economies to becoming the world’s fastest-growing major economy over the past 12 years.
Also read: 'We were once in Fragile Five': What does it mean, and how has India's economy changed in 12 years
“We were once counted among the ‘Fragile Five’. However, India has, within just 12 years, emerged as the world’s fastest-growing major economy,” Modi said in his 13th consecutive Independence Day address.
