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Photos of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal led to rejection of Republic Day tableau, claims state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann had on Wednesday slammed the BJP-led Centre for not including the state’s tableau in the Republic Day parade, calling it a step towards removing the word Punjab from the national anthem.
A day after chief minister Bhagwant Mann slammed the Union Government for deliberately rejecting Punjab’s tableau from the Republic Day parade, the state BJP on Thursday hit back at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government accusing it of politicising the issue.
The state BJP unit alleged that the AAP government insisted that the tableau carried Mann and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s photos and that led to its rejection. State BJP chief Sunil Jakhar told reporters here that it was unfortunate that the real reason for the rejection of the tableau was being brushed aside.
“After the chief minister attempted to muddle BJP in the controversy, we contacted the committee that finalises the tableau and it emerged that the reason for its rejection was that the Punjab government’s tableau had photos of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Singh Mann on it. It is making a mockery of our virsa (heritage) as never in history has any chief minister put his picture on the tableau,” Jakhar alleged.
“ The AAP government was adamant that Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann’s photos should be on it, which is not allowed as per protocol. This was one of the reasons for the rejection of the Punjab tableau,” Jakhar said.
Mann had on Wednesday slammed the BJP-led Centre for not including the state’s tableau in the Republic Day parade, calling it a step towards removing the word Punjab from the national anthem.
“If they have their way they will take out the word ‘Punjab’ from the national anthem Jana Gana Mana,” Mann had told reporters here.
Jakhar said that it was unfortunate that Mann chose to “politicise” the issue. Punjab is a border state, a sensitive state, and the chief minister is trying to whip up sentiments with his claim that the Centre discriminated against Punjab, he said.
Jakhar said that every Punjabi is proud of his heritage and culture. “The nation has never been oblivious to our (Punjab’s) valour. However as a chief minister, Mann is selectively choosing not to tell the ‘real truth’ on why the tableau was rejected,” Jakhar said.
Jakhar, who had joined teh BJP defecting from Congress, said that every state’s tableau does not find a place in the Republic Day parade and sometimes some are not included for various reasons, including technical ones.
In the past 17 years, there have been nine occasions when Punjab’s tableau has not been included in the Republic Day parade, including in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, he said.
AAP accuse BJP state chief of ‘lying’
Responding to Jakhar’s claim, AAP’s Punjab chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said that Jakhar has lied about the Republic Day tableau. He said there was no photo of chief minister Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal anywhere in the tableau.
On Jakhar’s statement that previous chief ministers never raised questions about this, Kang said that Capt Amarinder Singh and Parkash Singh Badal did not have concern for the heritage of Punjab whereas the current CM cares about it. “Punjab was discriminated against twice in such a big event. Despite Jakhar’s hesitance to denounce this decision of the BJP government, the people of Punjab see his duplicity, and this betrayal shall not easily fade from memory or be forgiven,” Kang said.
