Addressing a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat, Delhi’s Minister of Art, Culture, and Languages, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj, expressed his deep disappointment on the fact that for the past 3 years, the Central Government has been rejecting proposals regarding Delhi’s tableaux in the Republic Day parade of January 26. The Minister of Art, Culture, and Languages mentioned that Delhi is the capital of this country, and all tableaux are prepared in Delhi. He found it astonishing that Delhi’s tableau has been excluded from January 26 parade for the past 3 years.
Delhi’s Minister of Art, Culture, and Languages, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj, elaborated on the proposals put forth by the Delhi government over the past three years, extensively. “In 2022, we proposed ‘Resolve-75’ which was rejected in the second round. In 2023, we proposed ‘Nari-Shakti’ which was rejected again, and in 2024, ‘Viksit Bharat’ was the criteria, but again they rejected the Delhi Government’s idea for tableaux. Continuously for the past 3 years, the Central Government has been rejecting Delhi’s proposals for participation in the January 26 parade,” he said.
The Art, Culture, and Languages Minister pointed out the double standard of the BJP-led Central Government, stating, “On one hand, BJP leaders claim among the public that the acceptance of a Republic Day’s tableau depends on its subject matter. On the other hand, the topics for all states’ tableaux are provided solely by the Central Government. When the subject is provided by the Central Government and all states prepare their tableau accordingly, if the Central Government instructs changes or alterations in these floats, the states comply with those directives. Hence, on what basis are BJP leaders claiming that the approval of floats depends solely on their subject matter?”
Minister Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj stated that regarding this parade, it cannot be said at all that making these tableaux is a competition. This is because the subject for making the tableaux is provided solely by the Central Government, and based on that subject, all states prepare their respective 3-D designs. He mentioned that they too had prepared their tableaux proposal based on the subject provided by the Central Government. Suggestions for changes had been received from the Central Government regarding their proposal, which states accepted. If there were any further suggestions from the Central Government, the Delhi government would surely consider them. However, despite being in line with the subject provided by the Central Government and accepting suggested changes, the opportunity for Delhi’s tableau to participate in the January 26 parade held in Delhi has not been given.
Regarding the theme ‘Viksit Bharat’ provided by the Central Government for the January 26 parade in 2024, Minister Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Any state generally presents what aspects or items could represent the theme of a developed India in their tableau. India would develop through a good education system and better healthcare facilities. The Delhi government had included Delhi’s school system and Mohalla Clinics in their proposal. Despite this, the proposal for Delhi’s floats was rejected by the Central Government.”
Minister Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj raised questions about the intentions of the BJP-led Central Government, stating that the BJP government sitting in the centre is persistently exhibiting behaviour aimed solely at retaliating against the AAP. “It’s not a coincidence that they not just reject the tableau proposals given by the Delhi government but also those given by the AAP-led Punjab government. He indicated that it can be clearly understood from the actions of the Central Government that the rejection of the tableaux proposals presented by the governments of Delhi and Punjab was not based on any deficiency or fault, but rather due to animosity toward the AAP,” he said.
