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For the first time India will not have a chief guest at the Republic Day parade. The ministry of external affairs in a media briefing had announced that there will be no foreign leader as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations due to the global situation arising out of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Due to the global COVID 19 situation, it has been decided that this year there will not be a foreign head of state or head of government as the chief guest for our Republic Day event,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at a media briefing.
After British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pulled out citing the new coronavirus variant , India had requested President of the Republic of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, to be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade on January 26. But that too has not materialised .
