The Chief guest of the Republic Day celebration in 2019 in New Delhi was
- (a)President of America, Donald Trump
- (b)President of Russia, Vladimir Putin
- (c)King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
- (d)President of South Africa, Cyril Ramphosa
Correct — D, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa (the paper prints 'Ramphosa'; the correct spelling is Ramaphosa). He was the chief guest at India's 70th Republic Day parade on 26 January 2019 in New Delhi. The choice was symbolically apt: 2019 marked the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, whose public life began in South Africa, and Ramaphosa was only the second South African leader so honoured after Nelson Mandela in 1995.
- (a)President of America, Donald Trump — Donald Trump was not the 2019 chief guest. The last US President to be Republic Day chief guest was Barack Obama in 2015.
- (b)President of Russia, Vladimir Putin — Vladimir Putin was Republic Day chief guest in 2007, not 2019.
- (c)King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck — The King of Bhutan was Republic Day chief guest in 2013, not 2019.
The Republic Day parade chief guest is a deliberate diplomatic signal — the invitation reflects India's foreign-policy priorities for that year. In 2019 President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa was the chief guest, the second South African leader to be so honoured after Nelson Mandela in 1995.
A 'who was chief guest in year X' item rewards keeping a short mental list of recent chief guests. 2019 links naturally to the Gandhi 150th anniversary and to close India–South Africa ties (both BRICS and IBSA partners).
- 2019 (70th Republic Day) chief guest: Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa
- Nelson Mandela was chief guest in 1995; Ramaphosa was the second South African leader so honoured
- 2019 coincided with the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, whose activism began in South Africa
- Nearby years: 2018 hosted all ten ASEAN leaders; 2020 chief guest was Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro
- Mismatching the chief-guest year (Putin 2007, King of Bhutan 2013, Obama 2015)
- Assuming a US President attended in 2019 — Trump never was a Republic Day chief guest
MPPSC and UPSC ask this as straight current-affairs recall: 'Who was chief guest at the Republic Day parade in 20XX?'
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The chief guest at India's 2018 Republic Day parade was
- (a)the President of France
- (b)all ten ASEAN leaders
- (c)the Prime Minister of Japan
- (d)the President of the USA
Answer(b) all ten ASEAN leaders — a first, marking the ASEAN–India commemorative summit.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Nelson Mandela was the chief guest at India's Republic Day parade in the year
- (a)1990
- (b)1995
- (c)1997
- (d)2000
Answer(b) 1995 — the first South African leader to be so honoured.