Nagpur: Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the 14th and Current Vice President of India, in office since 2007. After Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Ansari is the only person to get elected for the post of Vice President of India at two consecutive terms.
Almost everybody who could not attend the 66th Republic Day Parade at Delhi was glued to the television sets right from the morning. This was also because they wanted to see the first President of United States of America as a guest for Republic Day celebrations.
However, when the National Anthem was being played and the Tricolour hoisted, Vice President Dr. Hamid Ansari fortuitous aberration came to light as every cameraman noticed that he had failed to salute the National Flag. Everyone saw how President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar were proudly saluting the National Flag while the National Anthem was being played. But, the Vice President and his wife did not follow suit for reasons best known to them.
However, one more thing that caught the attention was that President of United States of America Barack Obama who was the Chief Guest at 66th Republic Day Parade and his wife Michelle Obama did not salute the National Flag. They can be excused since as they were foreign dignitaries and owed allegiance to their own country.
Sources said, that this is the second time Dr. Hamid Ansari has shown disregard to the National Flag – Tricolour. The people of India will definitely expect an answer from the Vice President, since he holds the second highest Constitutional Authority of India after President Pranab Mukherjee.