Republic Day tableaux rejection show BJP's deep anti-federal attitude: CPI(M)

With the "motivated rejections" of Opposition states' tableaux for the Republic Day parade, the CPI(M) has said that the government favoured an 8th-century religious figure "who restored Brahmanical order" over a 20th century anti-caste social reformer and a central department over a state to depict Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's contributions, showcasing its "deep anti-federal attitude".

Targeting the Narendra Modi government, an editorial in the latest edition of the CPI(M) mouthpiece 'People's Democracy' said that the rejection of tableaux of Kerala and Tamil Nadu has practically led to the non-representation of southern states at the national day celebrations. West Bengal's tableaux depicting Bose was also rejected while Defence Minister Rajanth Singh defended it saying CPWD would be honouring the freedom fighter in its tableau.

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Claiming that the action "reveals a lot about the mindset of the BJP rulers", it said the "most shocking" rejection was that of the tableau of Kerala, which had a statue of anti-caste fighter and renaissance figure Sree Narayana Guru. The expert committee wanted a statue of Adi Shankaracharya but the Kerala government stuck to the 20th-century social reformer's statue leading to its rejection.

The editorial said they wanted to know who were the experts who consider Adi Sankaracharya as more relevant to the theme of 75 years of independence in this Republic Day parade.

"How an 8th century AD religious figure, who restored the Brahmanical order, is more relevant than an early 20th-century social reformer, who contributed to the renaissance and freedom movement, can only be explained by the Hindutva outlook of the ruling establishment," it said.

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"The insistence by the expert committee to impose Adi Sankaracharya on the Kerala tableau is an insult not only to Sree Narayana Guru but to the entire progressive socio-cultural traditions of Kerala," it said.

West Bengal had submitted a tableau depicting the role of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army (INA) in the freedom struggle while Tamil Nadu had portrayed the prominent freedom fighters from the state like V O Chidambaram, the national poet of the freedom struggle, Subramania Bharathiyar and others, it said adding these too were not found acceptable.

Referring to the Defence Minister's assertion that Bose's contribution is being depicted in the CPWD tableau, the editorial said, "as if, a department of the central ministry should get precedence over the state of West Bengal, which can be proud of having produced a preeminent leader of the independence struggle, like Netaji."

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To Singh's assertion that the selection was done by eminent persons in the field of art, culture, music, architecture and so on, the editorial said one would like to know who these experts are, who consider Adi Sankaracharya as more relevant to the theme of 75 years of independence in this Republic Day parade.

"The partisan and sectarian outlook of the Modi government has led to practically the entire south Indian states being non-represented in the tableaus at the Republic Day parade. The motivated rejection of the tableaus of three opposition state governments shows the deep anti-federal attitude of the government. January 26 marks the advent of the Indian Republic and the Constitution which defines India as a Union of States. The Modi government is violating this basic precept of the Constitution," it said.

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