73rd Republic Day Parade- Why Did Centre Reject These States' Tableau Proposals?

This year on January 26, India celebrates its 73rd Republic Day. The day marks the celebration of the empowerment of Indian citizens to select their government and the coming into existence of the Constitution of India. The President of India unfurls the Indian flag, presents awards to the country's brave citizens, and pays homage to the courageous soldiers who lost their lives in wars. On this day, the Republic Day Parade is the primary attraction.

The parade held in Delhi is the largest and most significant parade in India, commemorating India's Republic Day. The grand parade takes place at Rajpath in Delhi every year. Tableaux present in the parade depict the culture of India's various states and union territories. These floats highlight the culture and diversity of India. Different states and union territories present their tableaux which the Defence Ministry then selects for participation in the parade after following specific guidelines. The Ministry proposed that the theme of the tableaux should consist of a historical event, heritage, culture, development programmes and environment. The approval for presenting the tableau in the parade is given after two rounds of examination. The first round evaluates sketches and designs and provides suggestions for modification, and the second round evaluates the models. After the two rounds, a final judgement is passed by the committee.

Different states and union territories have presented their tableau models before the Ministry of Defence for the 73rd Republic Day. However, the tableaux of Kerala and West Bengal were rejected by the Ministry, causing huge uproar from the governments of both states.

Kerala's Sree Narayana Guru And Jatayu Park Tableau

India's Ministry of Defence rejected the model presented by Kerala for the Republic Day Parade this year. The submitted proposal for the tableau was of the social reformer Sree Narayana Guru and the Jatayu Park monument. The Ministry suggested changing it to a monument of Adi Sankaracharya. Adi Shankaracharya was an Indian philosopher and theologian who put forward the Adwaita philosophy. At the same time, Sree Narayana Guru was an anti-caste social reformer who spearheaded the temple entry movement that demanded that individuals of lower castes be allowed to enter temples. According to the Defence Ministry jury, Adi Shankaracharya united the country, but Kerala felt Guru as the ideal representation. Since Kerala did not make modifications as suggested by the jury, their proposal got rejected, leading to Kerala having no representation in the tableaux on Republic Day. This is the third time that Kerala's tableau is getting rejected in a row.

"It is sad. I don't know why Sree Narayana Guru's tableau was rejected. We have no idea why the Centre is against the social reformer, and we want to know the state BJP also sharing this bias. The float was avoided at the eleventh hour, and concerned people owe an explanation to the state,"

Kerala's Education Minister V Shivankutty said, as reported by Hindustan Times. The Kerala government protested against the Central government's decision and expressed concern.

The central govt's decision to deny permission to Kerala's Republic Day tableau, which contained anti-caste crusader Narayana Guru's figure, is extremely condemnable. @BJP4Keralam must state whether they agree with this insulting attitude towards Kerala's Guru.

— V. Sivankutty (@VSivankuttyCPIM) January 13, 2022

West Bengal's Freedom Fighters Of The State Tableau

West Bengal protested against the Defence Ministry's decision to reject the tableau by the state for the Republic Day Parade. The tableau model proposed commemorates Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and his contributions on his 125th birth anniversary. The proposal also considered the portraits of other state freedom fighters like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Rabindranath Tagore, Vivekananda, Chittaranjan Das, Sri Aurobindo Matangini Hazra, Birsa Munda and Nazrul Islam.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday wrote a two-page letter to PM Modi expressing sadness over the Centre's attitude and urging him to reconsider the decision. As reported by The Hindu, she wrote,

"I have been profoundly shocked and hurt by the decision of the government of India to abruptly exclude the proposed tableau of the government of West Bengal from the ensuing Republic Day parade. It is even more baffling for us that the tableau has been rejected without assigning any reasons or jurisdiction."

As reported by The Economic Times, Defence Ministry officials said that there is no question of bias since only a certain number of tableaux will be selected every year and that the proposals by government departments and ministries got rejected as well.

Also Read: India Open 2022: India's Lakshya Sen Defeats Loh Kean Yew To Win Final