Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) working president T. Jagga Reddy on Tuesday flayed the Union government led by NDA over the seating arrangement of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, during the 77th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on Monday.
Addressing the media at Gandhi Bhavan, Mr. Jagga Reddy alleged that the Centre deliberately seated Mr. Rahul Gandhi in the third row as an act of political humiliation. “The BJP government made the Leader of the Opposition sit in the third row only to insult him. This is a conspiracy-driven insult,” he said.
Mr. Jagga Reddy further described Mr. Rahul Gandhi as a lion-like man and praised Priyanka Gandhi as a leopard-like leader. “The Congress leadership would not be intimidated by such actions. The people gave the BJP a mandate to run a people’s government, not to politically target the Gandhi family,” he said.
Recalling past traditions, Mr. Jagga Reddy said, Indira Gandhi respected leaders like L.K. Advani when they were in the Opposition. “But Modi has made it his business to insult the Leader of the Opposition,” he said, and demanded that the Centre uphold democratic dignity and maintain respect for constitutional positions irrespective of political differences.
Published – January 27, 2026 08:59 pm IST
