The government on Monday refuted Opposition’s allegations of not giving appropriate seat to Mallikarjun Kharge during swearing-in ceremony of President Droupadi Murmu, saying that the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha was given seat in front row at par with Cabinet ministers. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted a letter written to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, saying that Kharge was made to sit in a seat not commensurate with the position he holds.
The letter further says that it was disrespect to very senior leader and was not in accordance with the protocol courtesies due to him. Rejecting the allegations, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi said there was no violation of protocol in the oath-taking ceremony of the President. “In the order of precedence, leader of opposition is after all Cabinet ministers. Strictly going by that his seat comes in third row. But to respect seniority of Kharge ji, he was provided seat in first row itself,” Joshi said.
When he objected to his seat as it was in corner, Joshi said staff present there requested him to come to centre but he refused. Joshi further said in outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind’s farewell programme on Saturday, Kharge was given the seat next to the prime minister, but he didn’t come. “It was an insult to the President also. Today they are making an issue of a non-issue. In spite of order of precedence, we tried to accommodate them in first row. Majority of Cabinet ministers sat in second row,” Joshi said.
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