After the Centre rejected its tableau for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, the West Bengal government has decided to showcase the same tableau commemorating the contributions of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and his INA on his 125th birth anniversary in the state Republic Day programme at Red Road.

The state’s programme will be a curtailed one of 30 minutes duration because of the Covid-19 pandemic situation. According to senior officials of the state home department, Netaji is going to be the central theme in the state’s Republic Day function. Tableaux of Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Airforce and Kolkata Police will also be showcased at the Red Road function, which will be graced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The rejection of the tableau by the Centre has been in the center of political debate for the last few days. Expressing shock over the Centre’s rejection of the proposed tableau of the Bengal government from the ensuing Republic Day parade, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reconsider the decision and include the tableau of freedom fighters from Bengal in the parade.

This is not the first time but there are several instances when the tableaux were rejected by the Centre. In 2020, the tableau designed by chief minister Mamata Banerjee on ‘Kanyashree’ project -a pet project of the chief minister to provide financial assistance to the girl students was rejected by the Centre.

Senior officials of the state government claimed that the state’s proposals of tableau for the Republic Day were rejected by the Centre several times. Though the state has bagged two first prizes one in 2014 for its theme on ‘Chau Dance of Purulia’ and one in 2016 for the theme on Baul artists of Bengal but the state’s initiative ‘Kanyashree’ and ‘Ektai Sampriti’ (Unity is Brotherhood) was rejected by the Centre in 2015 and 2018 respectively.

After the rejection of ‘Ekatai Sampriti’ theme in 2018, Mamata Banerjee raised the theme on a public platform and had alleged that the theme was on unity and it wanted to highlight the harmony among the people but the Centre by rejecting the theme insulted the people of Bengal. She had also alleged that though ‘Kanyashree’ won accolades from the United Nations but the theme was rejected by the Centre.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Tathagata Roy on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow Bengal’s tableau on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to feature in the Republic Day parade in the national capital, a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a similar appeal to the PM.