NEW DELHI, Dec 22: A war of words has broken out between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP over the rejection for the fourth consecutive year of a Delhi tableau at the Republic Day parade in January 2025.
The former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who headed the Delhi government for almost a decade, led his party’s attack on the BJP — his comments discreetly coloured by the elections to the Delhi Assembly due in February, 2025.
“For the last so many years, the tableau of Delhi is not allowed to participate in the parade. What kind of politics is this? Why do they hate the people of Delhi so much? Why should the people of Delhi vote for them?” Mr Kejriwal said in a pointed message.
“They have no vision for the people of Delhi. They only abuse Kejriwal. Should we vote for them just for this? Why are the tableau and the people of Delhi being stopped from participating in the 26th January parade?” he asked. Delhi, he added, is the capital of India and should be represented every year in the January 26 parade.
The BJP claimed Mr Kejriwal’s comments indicated his “anarchist nature” and questioned what the former Chief Minister wished to display. “I want to ask him what he wants to show (in the tableau of Delhi). The severe overflow where more than 60 people died… or the ‘Sheeshmahal’ that he has made by looting the money of people,” said Delhi BJP chief Virendraa Sachdeva.
“The tableau of the whole country is displayed in the parade of Republic Day. A committee decides the tableau. Now, Arvind Kejriwal wants to do politics in this too,” he said. “We have not forgotten the Republic Day of 2014 when Arvind Kejriwal staged a protest,” Mr Sachdeva added.
Last year too, Delhi was not allowed a tableau in the parade. Senior AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said it was the BJP’s “revenge” after losing to AAP in the Punjab assembly election. Mr Bhardwaj said it was not a coincidence that Punjab’s tableau proposal was also rejected.
Officials said the last time Delhi’s tableau featured in the Republic Day parade was in 2021. It showcased the Shahjahanabad redevelopment project.
(Manas Dasgupta)