Did Mallikarjun Kharge Decline Applause During Narasimha Rao's Bharat Ratna Ceremony? Truth Behind Congress President's Viral Photo

A photo of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge not applauding when President Droupadi Murmu conferred former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao with Bharat Ratna posthumously has been circulated on social media. Many users alleged Kharge of being biased against Rao receiving India's highest civilian award.

On March 30, Rao's son PV Prabhakar Rao accepted the award from President Murmu. In the viral photo, Kharge can be seen seated on the front row alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President JP Nadda, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. All, except Kharge, are seen applauding when the president presented the award.

Are the claims against Kharge true?

Contrary to what the viral photo shows, the truth is different. On March 30, DD News shared a video of the ceremony on its YouTube channel. The video showed Kharge applauding when PV Prabhakar Rao went to accept the Bharat Ratna on behalf of his late father. This showed that the viral photo and claims along with it are misleading.

Watch the video below

Row over President Murmu standing and PM Modi sitting in photo

BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani was officially conferred with Bharat Ratna on March 31 at his residence in Delhi by President Murmu in the presence of Prime Minister Modi. Soon after the photos and videos of the ceremony were shared on social media, users noted Murmu standing as Modi remained seated.

The prime minister received criticism from multiple users for choosing to stay seated while the president stood. Some individuals went as far as to claim that this action showed a lack of respect towards President Murmu.