Kochi: With the expert committee that selects tableaus for the Republic Day parade giving the cold shoulder to three major states where non-BJP parties are in power, the process of approval has become a political controversy.
Kerala’s tableau was the first to be rejected, when the committee appointed by the defence ministry suggested changes in their proposal, saying that Adi Shankara’s image should be added to the design. Kerala’s representative put forward an altered design with the image of Sree Narayana Gurudevan, which was not acceptable to the committee.
The rejection of Kerala’s tableau immediately sparked a political row, with the ruling CPI(M) wasting no time to blame the BJP for “sidelining” Narayana Guru. CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan did not mince his words when he came down heavily on the BJP, accusing it of “caste prejudice” and disregard for the leaders of Kerala’s renaissance.
“Sree Narayana Guru might not be an acceptable icon for the BJP, as they still practice their feudal legacy of untouchability and caste discrimination,” claimed Kodiyeri.
Education minister V. Sivankutty also came published a protest note on Twitter. “The Central government’s decision to deny permission to the Kerala’s Republic Day tableau, which contained anti-caste crusader Narayana Guru’s figure, is extremely condemnable (sic),” read Sivankutty’s tweet.
On the other hand, the BJP hit back at the CPI(M)-led state government, alleging that the proposal by the state was “mediocre” and was hence rejected. “Kerala did not do any homework and its presentation was rejected for the past few years due to mediocre floats,” said K. Surendran, BJP state president, in a statement.
The Sivagiri Mutt, founded by Narayana Guru, also felt let down by the Union government. “Sree Narayana Gurudevan is universally accepted and respected by all sections of society, cutting across political parties. Although Shankaracharya was a great man, he was accepted only by a section of people in Kerala. Gurudevan, on the other hand, is revered by people all across the world, regardless of caste or religion,” read a statement by the Mutt.
It all started with the interview process to select tableaux for the Republic Day parade. Kerala’s proposal for the float included the frontal view of the Jatayu Para national park, as a symbol of women empowerment. “During the interview, there was a suggestion from [the Union government’s] side to include Adi Shankara’s image in the float. We said if they wanted to include a spiritual leader, it should be Narayana Guru rather than Shankaracharya. It seemed to be acceptable for them too but when the list was out, we did not make the cut,” said a Kerala government official.
This is not the first time that Kerala’s float was rejected. In 2019, the tableau based on the Vaikom satyagraha – the historic movement for the temple entry of the lower castes – was rejected. The next year, one depicting the cultural heritage of the state was also rejected.
Close on the heels of Kerala’s float getting rejected, Bengal’s float on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Tamil Nadu’s proposal with the theme showing the state’s role in the freedom struggle depicted renowned freedom fighters such as V.O. Chidambaram were also rejected.
Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his disappointment and urged the government to reconsider the decision.
West Bengal’s tableau intended to commemorate the Indian National Army on the 125th birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose It also bore the images of Rabindranath Tagore, Vivekananda, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Chittaranjan Das, Sri Aurobindo, Matangini Hazra, Birsa Munda and Nazrul Islam.
The state’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee, in her letter to the prime minister, said that the proposal was rejected without a reason being cited.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, replying to the chief ministers, said the selection or rejection of tableaux was done as per the prescribed guidelines.