Seat allotment: Rahul takes it in his stride

Congress President Rahul Gandhi took in his stride a seat given to him in the sixth row at the Republic Day parade here, saying he is "least bothered" on the seat allotment, but the Congress made it an issue to attack the Government for disregarding the convention to seat him in the front row as the party president. Even when his aides told him on Thursday that he had been denied the front seat alike Sonia Gandhi, Rahul ticked them off saying "parade is important, not where they make me sit." His party leaders also protested that the government did not allow Rahul and other opposition leaders to meet the leaders of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) who were chief guests at the Republic Day function. The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday dismissed the Congress criticism, asserting that the Congress when in power treated the BJP leaders similarly. Its spokesman GVL Narasimha Rao went to the extent of accusing Rahul thinking himself a "supper VVIP (very, very important person)," to get special position." We never made it an issue" for ignoring and illtreating the BJP leaders, he said as the party functions in a spirit of democracy.

Ridiculing the Congress for making the issue despite claiming to have a 133-year old illustrious history, Narasimha Rao said: "If this is your democratic spirit or understanding of democracy, it is a shame on the Congress party.”