After Kerala and West Bengal, Tamil Nadu chief minister (CM) M K Stalin on Monday expressed disappointment over Centre rejecting the state tableau for the Republic Day celebrations and sought Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s immediate intervention in the matter.
A central government spokesperson, however, said it is a “wrong precedent” adopted by the chief ministers, who don’t have any “positive” agenda and is aimed at creating “flash point” between the Centre and the states.
He said, Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu’s tableau were selected for previous parades using the same criteria and therefore, the question of discrimination against opposition states, as alleged, does not arise.
In a letter to the PM, the chief minister said, “Excluding the tableau will deeply hurt the sentiments and patriotic feelings of the people of Tamil Nadu.”
“That the expert committee chooses to ignore and reject all the seven designs shown to it as per the modifications suggested by its members is unacceptable,” the CM said, alleging that Tamil Nadu was not called for the fourth round of meeting.
Stating that this was a “matter of grave concern to Tamil Nadu and its people,” he sought the PM’s “urgent intervention to arrange to include the tableau of Tamil Nadu.”
{{/usCountry}}Stating that this was a “matter of grave concern to Tamil Nadu and its people,” he sought the PM’s “urgent intervention to arrange to include the tableau of Tamil Nadu.”
{{/usCountry}}Following the Republic Day parade’s theme this year — India@75 — the state had submitted sketches depicting contribution of renowned Tamil Nadu freedom fighters in the freedom struggle. It included renowned freedom fighters, including V O Chidambaranar (VOC); Subramania Bharathi, popularly known as Maha Kavi Bharathiar, and Rani Velu Nachiyar with other women soldiers.
Also read | Mamata writes to PM Modi over R-Day tableau rejection, says ‘profoundly shocked’
On Sunday, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had written to PM Modi urging him to reconsider the decision of excluding the state’s proposed tableau from the parade. “It is even more baffling that the tableau was rejected without any justification,” Mamata wrote, adding, that she was shocked and hurt by the decision.
The proposed tableau was to commemorate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Indian National Army on Bose’s 125th birth anniversary. The tableau would have carried portraits of Vidyasagar, Rabindranath Tagore, Vivekananda, Chittaranjan Das, Sri Aurobindo, Matangini Hazra, Birsa Munda, Nazrul Islam, Mamata wrote.
“Bengal was at the forefront of the Indian freedom struggle and paid heaviest price for the country’s Independence through the partition. People of West Bengal are deeply pained by this attitude of the central government,” Mamata added. However, the central government spokesperson said,“This year’s tableau of CPWD includes Netaji Subhaschandra Bose, so the question of his insult does not arise.”
Kerala CM Pinayari Vijayan on January 13 had also sought PM’s intervention after the state’s proposal for the tableau of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru and Jatayu Park monument was rejected and the Centre instead changed it to Adi Shankara, which the state rejected. “We have no idea why the Centre is against the social reformer. The float was avoided at the eleventh hour and the government owes an explanation to the state,” state education minister V Sivankutty had said then.
Meanwhile, reacting to the controversy, a central government spokesperson said, “Perhaps the CMs have no positive agenda of their own and have to resort to the same old trick of using misinformation year after year.”
The spokesperson said the tableaux proposals are selected by a Subject Expert Committee, comprising of eminent people from different fields. “For the parade, a total of 56 proposals were received. Out of these, 21 were shortlisted. It is natural for more proposals to be rejected than the ones being accepted, given the paucity of time,” he added.
Tableaux proposals of Kerala were accepted through the same process in 2018 and 2021. Similarly the tableaux proposals of Tamil Nadu were accepted in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. For West Bengal, the tableaux proposals were accepted in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021.