PTIA day after the Centre announced its decision to begin Republic Day celebrations on January 23 to coincide with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 125th birth anniversary, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the decision of excluding the state's proposed tableau for the R-Day parade. The tableau is themed on the state's freedom fighters.
However, an official of the defence ministry, which takes care of the selection process of tableaux, said the entire process follows a set of guidelines and a committee comprising experts from the fields of art, architecture, design, culture and music takes the final call. The official denied any bias against West Bengal. In 2016, West Bengal's tableau on baul singers was awarded as the best one.
Banerjee's letter stated that the proposed tableau was to commemorate Netaji and his Indian National Army on his 125th birth anniversary and the model carried portraits of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Rabindranath Tagore, Vivekananda, Chittaranjan Das, Sri Aurobindo, Matangini Hazra, Birsa Munda and Nazrul Islam. "It is even more baffling for us that the tableau was rejected without assigning any reasons or justifications," said Banerjee, adding that she was "profoundly shocked and hurt" by the decision. Trinamool Congress MPs Sukhendu Shekhar Roy and Saugata Roy also reacted to the development saying the party will protest at the "undermining of Netaji by Centre".
However, an official of the defence ministry, which takes care of the selection process of tableaux, said the entire process follows a set of guidelines and a committee comprising experts from the fields of art, architecture, design, culture and music takes the final call. The official denied any bias against West Bengal. In 2016, West Bengal's tableau on baul singers was awarded as the best one.
Banerjee's letter stated that the proposed tableau was to commemorate Netaji and his Indian National Army on his 125th birth anniversary and the model carried portraits of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Rabindranath Tagore, Vivekananda, Chittaranjan Das, Sri Aurobindo, Matangini Hazra, Birsa Munda and Nazrul Islam. "It is even more baffling for us that the tableau was rejected without assigning any reasons or justifications," said Banerjee, adding that she was "profoundly shocked and hurt" by the decision. Trinamool Congress MPs Sukhendu Shekhar Roy and Saugata Roy also reacted to the development saying the party will protest at the "undermining of Netaji by Centre".
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