Rahul made to sit in row 6 at parade... shares greetings with PM at Prez House

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday attended the Republic Day Parade and took the designated seat in the sixth row, prompting an angry reaction from his party that accused the government of setting aside tradition and indulging in "cheap politics".

Gandhi was seated in the sixth row, along with Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said the Modi government's "cheap politics" was at display when it broke tradition and denied Gandhi a front-row seat.

Congress sources said the party presidents, including Sonia Gandhi who handed over the party reins to Rahul Gandhi in December last year, had always been seated in the front row at the Republic Day Parade.

"I am not bothered about where I am sitting," Rahul told a television channel also dismissing as "cheap publicity" suggestions that he should buy a public ticket to make a point.

The Congress chief fared better in the evening, at the traditional at-home hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he was placed in the selected enclosure with the chief guests of the parade. He was also seen exchanging pleasantries with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Former prime ministers H D Deve Gowda and Manmohan Singh were seen seated in the front row in the picture, followed by Union ministers Smriti Irani and Thawarchand Gehlot.

Congress leaders had on Thursday alleged that assigning a seat in the fourth row to the Congress president was an attempt to "humiliate" him at a public function, which was attended by heads of government/states of 10 ASEAN countries.

Government sources said that as per the protocol, the Leader of Opposition is accorded a seat in the seventh row.