MEA on Thursday announced that there will be no foreign leader as Republic Day chief guest this year. The decision comes due to the global situation arising out of Covid-19. This is the first time in 55 years that India will not have a chief guest at the Republic Day parade. The last time India did not send an invitation to any head of state was in 1966 due to the sudden death of then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri