Centre devises plan to end political row over R-Day tableaux

New Delhi: To put an end to unnecessary political controversy, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said on Friday that every state and UT’s tableaux will be given representation once every three years during the Republic Day parade. No state and UT will be repeated until all states’ and UTs’ tableaux have been represented on Republic Day.

The defence secretary said that to address the concerns of some states and UTs over the non-inclusion of their tableaux in the parade, the defence ministry has devised this three-year roll-over plan, which ensures equitable participation on a rotational basis of all states and UTs over a period of three years.

“All states have equal status as per the Constitution. No state or UT will be left in the three years," said Mr Aramane.

The government keeps getting requests that their state should get priority. The Centre has signed MoUs with states on this new plan.

As far as UTs are considered, the Union home ministry has to give its approval, "which will not be a difficulty".

This year, tableaux from 16 states and UTs and nine Central ministries tableaux will participate in the Republic Day parade. Next year, another 14 states' tableaux will participate in the Republic Day parade, said Mr Aramane, adding that the Centre will help small states, which have a resource crunch, make their tableaux.

Every year during the Republic Day parade, tableaux have a particular theme. Often leading to controversy, states whose tableaux are rejected complain that their tableaux were rejected because the Centre did not like their themes.

Mr Aramane said that states don't have any issue with following the theme set by the Centre. "Within that theme, they can also showcase their achievements," he said.

The defence secretary indicated that the main issue is the quality of the tableaux. One can't just put up some portraits. He said that the tableaux should be of quality, which generates enthusiasm.

He said that the tableaux are selected by a committee of experts who are highly qualified in their field.

A controversy had erupted this year after the AAP alleged that the Delhi and Punjab governments' tableaux have been left out of the upcoming Republic Day parade due to the BJP’s "dirty politics".

The states and UTs whose tableaux have been selected this year are Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha,

Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Ladakh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.

The ministries and organisations that will be showcasing their tableaux are: Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Ministry of Culture, Isro, Centre For Scientific and Industrial Research, Election Commission and CPWD.