Prime Minster missed out on the R-Day celebrations & rituals but did R-Day miss the PM?

Excerpt taken from HT epaper

For the first time, the Republic Day was celebrated on Monday without the presence of the Prime Minister who traditionally has laid a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti and received the President at the saluting base.

When the nation celebrated the 60th Republic Day on Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was recuperating from a coronary bypass surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

In his absence, Defence Minister A K Antony performed all the customary duties of the Prime Minister during the celebration at the Rajpath.