Guwahati: Ahead of the Republic day parade, politics of tableau has heated up after Centre rejected the proposals of Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu tableau have also been rejected by central government for Republic day.
An official of the ministry of defence, which handles the selection process of tableaux, said that 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 biased against West Bengal.
An expert committee comprising eminent persons from various disciplines of art shortlists the tableaux for the parade. While there is a well-established system for the selection of the tableaux, the process becomes a flashpoint for the play of regional politics nearly every year.
The Centre’s rejection of their tableaux has irked the three states, with the leaders of the respective state governments condemning the process, and seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has written to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee amid the row, asserting that the selection of the tableaux for the Republic Day parade is done as per detailed guidelines.
Earlier on Tuesday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took to Twitter to explain the procedure behind the selection of tableaux as well.
