New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin today, stating that decisions to select tableaux for the Republic Day parade are made in accordance with detailed guidelines and inviting them to participate in the grand event.
The letters come amid a political squabble between the two states over the rejection of tableau proposals. While the design submitted by Bengal highlighted Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army's contributions to the Independence movement, the design submitted by Tamil Nadu featured prominent freedom fighters such as V O Chidambaranar.

The Defence Minister stated in his letter to Ms. Banerjee that the Narendra Modi government holds Netaji in high regard and celebrates his birth anniversary, January 23, as 'Parakram Diwas.' He also stated that Republic Day celebrations will now begin with his birth anniversary and end on January 30.
Mr. Singh went on to say that the selection of tableaux for the Republic Day parade is transparent and adheres to strict guidelines. According to his letter, a committee comprised of personalities from the fields of art, culture, music, and dance examines design proposals submitted by states and decides which ones to select.

Mr. Singh went on to say that this year, 12 design proposals were chosen from entries submitted by 29 states and union territories.

To emphasize his point, he stated that the Central Public Works Department's tableau also honors

Before signing off, the Defence Minister expressed his hope that his letter would address Bengal's concerns and invited the state government to participate in the Republic Day celebrations.

Mr Singh reiterated in his letter to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister that tableaux are chosen in accordance with the established guidelines, and he added that while the state's design passed the first three rounds of meetings, it did not make it to the final list of 12 tableaux.

Netaji on his 125th birthday.

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