Centre says state didn’t adhere to R-Day theme
Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Chandigarh, December 31
Continuing his tirade against the Centre over the rejection of Punjab’s tableau for the Republic Day parade, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today refused to send the state’s tableau for display at Bharat Parv saying the martyrs who featured in the creation didn’t deserve a place in the “rejected category”.
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Mann’s reaction came in response to the Centre’s communication dated December 30, which said that the “state/UT not selected for the Republic Day parade will be given an opportunity to display its tableau during Bharat Parv, being organised separately at Red Fort from January 23-31”.
The CM maintained the martyrs of the stature of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Lala Lajpat Rai, Udham Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Mai Bhago and Ghadari Babe didn’t need any “no-objection certificate from the BJP to prove their national standing”. “We will not allow Punjab to figure on the list of rejected states, which are being given a chance to display their tableaux separately, thereby getting second-class treatment. Punjab is capable of paying worthy tributes to its heroes and showcasing their legacy independently,” said Mann. The Ministry of Defence, meanwhile, issued a statement clarifying that the tableaux of Punjab, Delhi and West Bengal were not included in the Republic Day parade as these were not aligned with the broader themes adopted this year for the event. Their criticism on not being selected for the parade is unfounded,” the communication read.
Thirty states and UTs, including Punjab, West Bengal and Delhi, had shown interest to participate in the parade. As is the norm, nearly half of them were selected. The Punjab tableau was shortlisted for the parade six times over the past eight years between 2017 and 2022, the communication read.
The issue took an ugly turn after Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar maintained that the tableau was rejected as the state government insisted on carrying pictures of CM Mann and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal on the tableau. The charge has been denied as “baseless” by Mann.