The rejection of sketches of tableau for the Republic Day celebrations submitted by Opposition ruled States by the Centre has yet again showed the “autocratic and anti-democratic” mindset of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy said on Tuesday.
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In a virtual statement, he said there was no justification for rejecting the tableau proposals given by Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal. “It shows the autocratic and anti-democratic attitude of the Prime Minister. The BJP does not believe in federalism,” he claimed. [An expert committee scrutinised the tableau proposals.]
According to him, the Centre always harboured a negative attitude towards Opposition-ruled States. The Union government had refused sketches of tableau submitted by the Congress government in Union Territory two years ago, he said.
The sketches given by the Tamil Nadu government depicted the contribution of renowned freedom fighters including the poet-patriot Subramania Bharati, he said. “The decision of the Centre to reject the sketch also exposed the double speak of Prime Minister. Whenever he visits Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the Prime Minister makes it a point to garland the statue of Mahakavi Bharati and heap praise on his contributions,” he added.
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On COVID-19 situation in the Union Territory, he said the exponential rise in cases was due to the unregulated New Year celebrations. The test positivity rate in the Union Territory was the highest in the country, he said, adding the Congress had warned about the adverse impact of New Year celebrations in COVID-19 management.
“When all the Southern States imposed restrictions, Puducherry government alone allowed the celebrations. This led to people from other States coming to Puducherry.,” he added.