Rahul Gandhi First Leader Of Opposition In 10 Years To Attend PM's Independence Day Speech At Red Fort

Rahul Gandhi was appointed as Leader of Opposition on June 25 after Congress party won 99 seats in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attends Independence Day celebrations as Leader of Opposition.

Source : PTI

A dry spell of ten years ended on Thursday as this year's Independence Day celebrations at New Delhi's Red Fort saw Rahul Gandhi joining the ceremony as the Leader of the Opposition. Sporting a white kurta suit, the Wayanad MP was seen sitting with the Indian Olympics contingent which included medallists Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, and PR Sreejesh among others. 

After the Bharatiya Janata Party swept the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019, the post of the Leader of the Opposition remained vacant as none of the opposition parties could fill up the required number of seats to hold the constitutional post. 

However, with an improved performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi was appointed as the Leader of the Opposition on June 25 after the party's seat share in the Lower House of Parliament surged from 52 to 99. 

#WATCH | Delhi: Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi arrives at the Red Fort for India's 78th #IndependenceDay celebrations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to deliver his 11th Independence Day address, from the ramparts of the Red Fort this morning. pic.twitter.com/GQwUNSzZl5

— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2024

Earlier in the day, the Congress MP took to his X account to extend greetings on the 78th Independence Day. 

"Happy Independence Day to all countrymen."

"For us, freedom is not just a word – it is our biggest protective shield, woven into constitutional and democratic values," Rahul said in his X post. 

"This is the power of expression, the ability to speak the truth and the hope to fulfil dreams," he added. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the national flag on the occasion and addressed the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort. He called for speedy action against atrocities on women amid the outrage over the rape-murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College that sparked nationwide protests.  

He also addressed the situation in Bangladesh and hoped that the situation in the neighbouring country would normalise soon. "As a neighbouring country, I can understand the concern regarding whatever has happened in Bangladesh. I hope that the situation there gets normal at the earliest," he said.