Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has written to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin regarding the selection of tableaux for Republic Day parade event, stating that decisions regarding the selection process are taken in accordance with a given set of guidelines. He sought their participation in the event.
The letters were sent amid a political row over the rejection of tableau proposals from these two states. West Bengal’s entry showcased contribution of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army to the Independence movement, and Tamil Nadu submitted designs featuring prominent freedom fighters such as V O Chidambaranar.
In his letter to Banerjee, Rajnath Singh mentioned that the Narendra Modi government holds Netaji in high regard and observes his birth anniversary, January 23, as “Parakram Diwas”. He also said that from now on, Republic Day celebrations will begin with his birth anniversary and conclude on January 30. He added that the selection of Republic Day tableaux is transparent and follows a given set of guidelines. A committee comprising personalities from art, culture, music and dance examines the design proposals sent by the states and decides on which ones to be selected.
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Singh added that this year 12 design proposals have been cleared out of entries sent in by 29 states and Union Territories. The Defence Minister also added that the tableau of the Central Public Works Department also pays respects to Netaji on his 125th birth anniversary.
In the letter to the Tamil Nadu CM, Singh mentioned that tableaux selection is made as per given guidelines and added that while the state’s design cleared the first three rounds of meetings, it could not make it to the final list of the 12 selected tableaux.
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