Pranab calls Advani over seating row
17 Aug 2012 6:27 AM IST
President Pranab Mukherjee called the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Thursday after they expressed displeasure over the seating arrangements during the Independence Day 'At Home' reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mukherjee called L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.
'He called the opposition leaders. They were unhappy with the seating arrangements. He said he has taken note of their views and will see what can be done [in the future],' an official in the president's office said.
The official also clarified that the seating arrangements for Wednesday's function were as per the past practice. '[The president] told them that the seating arrangement was as per the precedent and there was no departure. No discourtesy has been shown,' the official said.
The BJP leaders were upset as they were seated away from the special enclosure at the Mughal Gardens where the president, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi were seated.
Viewing it as a snub, the BJP sources said that they wanted to take up the issue with the president's office.
Earlier, the party expressed displeasure when Advani was given a seat in the fourth row during the vice president's swearing-in ceremony on 11 August.
'He called the opposition leaders. They were unhappy with the seating arrangements. He said he has taken note of their views and will see what can be done [in the future],' an official in the president's office said.
The official also clarified that the seating arrangements for Wednesday's function were as per the past practice. '[The president] told them that the seating arrangement was as per the precedent and there was no departure. No discourtesy has been shown,' the official said.
The BJP leaders were upset as they were seated away from the special enclosure at the Mughal Gardens where the president, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi were seated.
Viewing it as a snub, the BJP sources said that they wanted to take up the issue with the president's office.
Earlier, the party expressed displeasure when Advani was given a seat in the fourth row during the vice president's swearing-in ceremony on 11 August.
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