Once again a needless controversy has erupted over the Republic Day 2024 parade. This is an occasion for the whole nation to celebrate the country’s adoption of the Constitution and its transition to democracy. There cannot be any room for narrow, partisan politics as the national day is for every citizen irrespective of her or his political belief or religious identity. Yet, it has again generated heated debate on the Centre’s alleged political bias against Opposition-ruled states. The tableaux from Punjab, Delhi and West Bengal for the Republic Day parade have been rejected triggering vociferous protests from the two state governments and Union Territory. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has, however, sought to justify the decision and clarify the situation surrounding the selection process for tableaux that participate in the Republic Day parade. The Ministry insists the process of selecting tableaux is transparent and it involves an expert committee. This committee supposedly evaluates the proposals based on various criteria such as the theme of the tableau, its concept, design, and the visual impact it would make during the parade. It is out of the question to bring in political considerations for acceptance or rejection of such tableaux, according to the MoD.
However, Punjab’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is not convinced in the least and has alleged discrimination over the selection process. The Ministry of Defence thereafter responded by iterating that there is a well-established system in place to select tableaux. It further explained that the system being followed now is to select the tableaux of 15-16 states and UTs in all for the Republic Day Parade. The states or UTs that would not “make the grade” for the parade have the opportunity to showcase their tableaux during Bharat Parv at Red Fort, New Delhi. This move, according to the government, testifies to the effort to include all states in the celebrations and ensure that no state feels left out of the festivities. However, Orissa has been noticeably kept out of the parade as well as the Bharat Parv event for the past couple of years. Interestingly, the Orissa State Government, unlike Punjab or other states, has not deemed it worthwhile to raise any objections against rejection of its tableaux.
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The Aam Aadmi Party governments in Delhi and Punjab and the TMC government in West Bengal are in no mood to accept the Centre’s arguments. Delhi’s tableaux proposal aimed at showcasing its school education and health services, while the Punjab government intended to exhibit the state’s heritage and the history of its martyrs for India’s national movement. Bengal prepared its tableaux to display its Kanyashree project that serves girls in the state. This is not the first time that Delhi and Bengal are going to be unrepresented in the parade. Delhi’s proposals have been turned down for three consecutive years. In 2022, Tamil Nadu’s tableau, highlighting the state’s role in national movement, did not qualify. The BJP has said that since these tableaux were meant for the political promotion of Opposition parties, they did not make the grade. It is true the previous UPA regime too was once charged with behaving in a partisan manner while disapproving of tableaux proposed by the BJP-run Gujarat government for several years.
It is unfortunate how political considerations these days tend to vitiate a national celebration. The Republic Day parade makes the nation proud of its heritage and advancements in different walks of life by people residing in different states and UTs. The glory makes the nation proud as a whole and it is not simply the achievement of any particular state. Thus, Republic Day epitomises patriotism and pomp and the country’s core values of unity in diversity. The celebrations refer as much to the herculean struggle the founders of the republic undertook for freedom from imperialism as to the efforts of people of every state to take the country forward. It was not just Hindi speaking north Indians who made this country what it is today. Every state had contributed in the process and those were extremely unique.
No wonder the theme for the 2024 Republic Day is ‘India – Mother of Democracy’ and ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India). A committee of distinguished persons drawn from various fields screens proposals from states and organisations. Among the criteria used for the final selection of the tableaux are visual appeal, impact on masses, theme, degree of detailing, music, and involvement of local artists. To reject the tableaux of a state is in a way an insult to the collective talent of that state that goes into the making of the tableaux.
The Centre should have taken utmost care not to ride roughshod over the feelings of any state, especially those ruled by Opposition parties. The allegations of bias and petty political considerations are bound to be levelled. More so this year when the country will go to the general elections. The fact that only Opposition-ruled states have been affected makes the whole exercise suspect. This is unwarranted and these rejections are yet another divisive move.
