The BJP today hit back at the Congress over the issue of sitting position of Rahul Gandhi during the Republic Day parade, saying in the past its chiefs were not even given seats in the VIP enclosure. Gandhi was seated in the sixth row, along with Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad. Last year, Sonia Gandhi was assigned a seat in the front row and was seen sitting along with BJP president Amit Shah. The BJP president was seated in the front row in the function today. Government sources said that as per the protocol, the Leader of Opposition is accorded a seat in the seventh row.

Source: dna January 26, 2018 18:00 UTC