Hyderabad: The Ministry of Defence on Sunday clarified that the tableaux that were rejected for Republic Day parade did not align with the broader themes selected this year.
The Ministry also invited states and UTs that were not selected to showcase their tableaux in Bharat Parv at Red Fort during January 23 to 31. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann turned down the Ministry's offer saying the tableau proposal is about the sacrifice of the heroes of the state and they did not need "BJP's NOC" on how to show respect to them.
Taking to his X handle Singh said, "We did not send the sacrifices of our Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Lala Lajpat Rai, Udham Singh, Mai Bhago...Kartar Singh Sarabha...Gadri Baba and Maharaja Ranjit Singh ji to the rejected categories...these are our heroes. ..we know how to respect them...no need of BJP's NOC..."
Earlier in the day, responding to criticisms by Punjab, Delhi and West Bengal over rejection of their tableaux for Republic Day parade, the Ministry of Defence issued a statement explaining that there is a "well established system" for selecting the tableaux. The tableaux from all the states, Union Territories, Central ministries and departments are examined in several rounds of meetings of the expert committee that comprises people from the fields of art and culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography and others. The tableau proposal is evaluated on various factors including themes, concept, design and visual impact, the Ministry said.
"Their criticism of not being selected this year (2024) is not objective and unfounded," it stated. Out of 30 states and UTs who sent their tableaux proposals, only 15-16 were selected for Republic Day parade. Punjab's tableau proposal was rejected after the third round as it did not comply to the broader themes of this year's tableau. Similarly, West Bengal's tableau proposal was not selected after the second round for the same reason.
From 2017 t0 2022, tableau of Punjab has been shortlisted for Republic Day parade six times while that of West Bengal was shortlisted five times - in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
"As states have to be treated equally, it is essential that states should be given the opportunity to display their tableaus as per a formula. Government of India is preparing a three-year programme covering all states/UTs which will be shared with all the States/UTs. Hence, the criticism by these states is baseless," the statement read.
Punjab CM and West Bengal minister Sashi Panja had slammed the Centre for rejecting the states' tableaux. Singh had alleged of discriminating against Punjab and Delhi while Panja had condemned the Centre for not selecting the state's 'Kanyashree scheme (empowerment of girls)' tableau, which she said has drawn acclaim not only within India and abroad but also awarded by the central government.
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