Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi attend Republic Day parade, root for constitution

Congress president and leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attended the Republic Day parade on Monday and urged the people to defend the Constitution that formed the foundation of the Republic.

Kharge and Gandhi had stayed away from last year's official ceremonies of both the Republic Day and Independence Day at Kartavya path and Red Fort, respectively, triggering criticism from the ruling BJP. While Kharge, who is also the Congress president, sat in the front row next to former vice-president Jagdeep Dhankar, Gandhi was in a third row seat.

"The need of the hour is to stand firmly in defence of the principles and spirit of our Constitution. Justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity are the enduring values that our founding fathers gave us, and it is our sacred duty to defend them. We must be prepared to make every necessary sacrifice to protect the Constitution. This will be our true tribute to the sacrifices of our ancestors," Kharge said in his Republic day message. He also unfurled the national flag at his official residence here.


In his message on the occasion of the Republic day, Gandhi said, "Our Constitution is the greatest weapon of every Indian, it is our voice, the shield protecting our rights. Our Republic stands on this strong foundation, and it will be strengthened only through equality and harmony."