‘Centre rejected Delhi, Punjab tableaux for Republic Day parade to take revenge,’ says AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday said that the BJP-led central government has declined the tableaux of Delhi and Punjab for the Republic Day parade, viewing it as a move to “exact revenge on the AAP,” the ruling party in both the capital and the border state.

As reported by PTI, during a press conference, Bharadwaj highlighted that the Centre has rejected Delhi's tableaux for three consecutive years.

“The last time Delhi's tableau featured in the Republic Day parade was in 2021. It showcased the Shahjahanabad redevelopment project”, according to officials.

Bharadwaj said Delhi's tableau this year would have showcased schools in the city and the Mohalla Clinic model.

Also Read: AAP accuses Centre of discrimination as Delhi, Punjab tableaus get excluded from Republic Day parade

"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.

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“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 had given us more suggestions, we would have included them too. Our tableau would have showcased schools and the Mohalla Clinic model,” he added.

Bharadwaj said 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.

Also Read: Bhagwant Mann lashes out at Centre for rejecting Punjab's tableau for Republic Day

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann criticized the Centre on Wednesday for not including his state's tableau in the parade, accusing it of discrimination. He alleged that 80% of the selected states are those governed by the BJP.

On Thursday, the Punjab BJP criticized Bhagwant Mann for politicizing the exclusion of the state's tableau from the parade. They claimed that the AAP government insisted on the tableau featuring photos of Mann and party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal.

(With inputs from PTI)