Days after the Central government decided not to the display of Punjab tableau in the Republic-Day parade, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann rejected the offer of the Defence Ministry to display tableau at the Bharat Parv event.
The Bharat Parv is scheduled to be held at the Red Fort in New Delhi from January 23 to January 31.
Earlier on Saturday, in a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma, the Defence Ministry had requested the state government to present their tableau during Bharat Parv.
Later, while disclosing his government decision not to send its tableau in the rejected categories list, CM Mann made a terse remark, “martyrs of the country do not need a no-objection certificate from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)”.
Mann said the rejection of the Punjab’s tableau amounted to rejection of the sacrifices of martyrs such as Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Lala Lajpat Rai, Udham Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Mai Bhago and Ghadari Baabe.
The Defence Ministry has, however, rejected the allegations of discrimination in the selection of tableaux for the R-Day parade saying there was a well-established system to select tableaux for the Republic-Day parade. Proposals are evaluated by an expert panel.
It further said that as many as 30 states and Union territories, including Punjab, had expressed their desire to take part in the R-Day parade. Of these, only 15 to 16 states and Union territories were chosen to showcase their tableaux.
Reacting to the ministry’s clarification, AAP Punjab spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said lies of BJP state unit chief Sunil Jakar have been exposed.
Citing Mann’s insistence on photos of himself and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on the tableau, Jakhar had claimed that the chief minister unduly politicised the issue.