Reacting to the the BJP’s charge of protocol lapses during President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to north Bengal, the Trinamool Congress on March 10 produced a 2024 photo showing Murmu standing while L K Advani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were seated in a room, and claimed that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had disrespected the President by remaining seated.
President Murmu visited north Bengal to attend a Santal tribal conference on March 7. After the event, she publicly expressed displeasure that neither the chief minister nor any state minister was present to receive her during the visit. There was also controversy over the venue change of the conference, which the President reportedly said had been altered without proper coordination. While Banerjee denied any protocol breach, leaders from the BJP accused the West Bengal government of disrespecting the President and violating protocol.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at Mamata Banerjee in an X post. “The anguish and concern expressed by the President, who has risen from the tribal community itself, have instilled profound sorrow in the hearts of the people of India”, the PM wrote.
The Trinamool Congress responded to this on Monday, March 10.
The photo in question, printed as a large banner, was held up on Monday by TMC leaders at Banerjee’s ongoing sit-in protest against the SIR exercise at the Metro Channel in Esplanade. Banerjee said, “Honourable PM, this is for you. Do you respect the President who is a woman and hails from the tribal community? Then tell us why is the President standing while you remain seated? I am showing this to you clearly. We show our respect. But they do not. This photo proves who can show respect and who can’t…”
Trinamool MP and former journalist Sagarika Ghose also called out Prime Minister Modi for disrespecting the President.
“Why was she not allowed to sit in a chair?”, Sagarika Ghose wrote, circulating the same photo, which showed the PM seated in the company of L K Advani, with Droupadi Murmu standing next to them in the same frame. (Archive)
“Mr Prime Minister @narendramodi is this how you respect @rashtrapatibhvn ? You remain seated while Draupadi Murmuji has to stand? Why don’t you stand up for the President of India, Modiji? Why was she not allowed to sit in a chair? Why do you keep abusing Bengal just before… pic.twitter.com/gyvC1gvCD2
— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) March 8, 2026
The Trinamool Congress also shared a video from its official X handle and claimed that “when it comes to the Hon’ble President of India, Mr. Modi cannot even extend the most basic courtesy of standing up in her presence.”
Who says @narendramodi doesn’t respect a President? He is always impeccably respectful when it comes to the President of the United States, for whose benefit he has sung and danced in Israel, at whose beck and call he appears ready to make strategic, diplomatic and even military… pic.twitter.com/1LTSTWaAr8
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) March 8, 2026
Fact Check
We ran a reverse image search on the concerned photo and found that it was taken on March 31, 2024, when BJP leader L K Advani was conferred the Bharat Ratna. The ceremony was held at his residence due to his poor health and was attended by several senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu.
We then carried out relevant keyword searches and found a video shared on the verified YouTube channel of Narendra Modi on March 31, 2024, which shows moments from the same ceremony.
In this video, it is clearly seen that the Indian President is initially seated in a chair right beside PM Modi and Advani. She only stands up to award the latter with the Bharata Ratna medallion and award. Other dignitaries present in the room, including then vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar and former VP Venkaiah Naidu, are also seen seated.
President Murmu herself had posted on X about the ceremony.
एक सांसद के रूप में संवाद पर उनकी आस्था ने संसदीय परंपराओं को समृद्ध किया। गृह मंत्री तथा उप प्रधान मंत्री के रूप में, उन्होंने सदैव राष्ट्र हित को सर्वोपरि रखा, जिससे उन्हें दलगत सीमाओं से परे जा कर लोगों ने सम्मान और प्रशंसा प्रदान की। भारत के सांस्कृतिक पुनरुत्थान के लिए उनके… pic.twitter.com/e4QYXQt0tX
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 31, 2024
In one of the photos, she can be seen seated alongside PM Modi and L K Advani.
To sum up, while it is true that the Prime Minister did not get up from his chair when the President stood up to confer the award to Advani — and it was this moment that was captured in the photo amplified by the Trinamool — it is also true that there was a chair designated for President Murmu and she was seated there during the ceremony.
Trinamool MP Sagarika Ghose’s remark on X that the President was not allowed to sit in a chair is completely baseless and false.
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