Delhi Health Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government and said that it has rejected the tableaux of Delhi and Punjab for the Republic Day parade to "exact revenge on the AAP", which is in power in the national capital and the border state.
Addressing a press conference, Bharadwaj highlighted that the Centre has rejected Delhi's tableaux for three years now. The last time Delhi's tableau featured in the Republic Day parade was in 2021. It showcased the Shahjahanabad redevelopment project, news agency PTI reported, citing officials.
Bharadwaj stated Delhi's tableau this year would have showcased schools in the city and the Mohalla Clinic model. "The tableau of Delhi, which is the capital of the country, was rejected by the Centre. Its tableau was rejected for the 2022 parade and then for the 2023 parade and now it has been rejected again for the 2024 parade," the minister said.
The theme of the Republic Day parade was 'Nari Shakti' in 2023 and it is 'Viksit Bharat' for the 2024 parade, he said.
"No one can say it's a design competition. The Centre had given us some suggestions and we had incorporated them (into our tableau proposal) and if it would have given us more suggestions, we would have included them too. Our tableau would have showcased schools and the Mohalla Clinic model," he added.
The Delhi Minister said that it's not a coincidence that Punjab's tableau proposal was also rejected. "The Centre is doing this to exact revenge on the AAP," he charged.
On Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had attacked the Centre over the non-inclusion of his state's tableau in the parade and accused it of discrimination. Eighty per cent of the selected states are the ones ruled by the BJP, he alleged.
BJP Hits Back At AAP's Claims
BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj slammed Bharadwaj for his claims and said that he has again tried to misguide the public and media. She further stated that the Delhi minister did not tell about the proposal sent by the AAP government that was rejected.
"Saurabh Bharadwaj has again tried to misguide the public and media. He did not tell about the proposal sent by the AAP government that was rejected. Was that proposal at par with the parametres defined by the special committee? AAP is bent on politicising the matter. An English daily has stated that AAP wanted to included Bhagwant Mann's photo in Punjab tableau and and Arvind Kejriwal's photo in Delhi's tableau, which is why they were rejected," Bansuri Swaraj said.
On Thursday, the Punjab BJP hit out at Mann for politicising the non-inclusion of the state's tableau in the parade, claiming that the AAP government insisted that the tableau carry photos of him and party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, as reported by PTI.