Tamil Nadu govt displays tableau rejected by Central govt in state Republic day parade; see pics

Chennai: Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday displayed the tableau during state Republic day parade that was rejected by the expert committee of the Central government.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin assured citizens that the tableau would be displayed in all major cities in TN for public viewing.

CM MK Stalin said that the state had made all the three corrections that were suggested to it by the selection committee but was not invited to the fourth round of meetings or given a clarification on the rejection.

The Tamil Nadu tableau under the theme “Tamil Nadu in the freedom struggle” apparently failed to impress the expert committee in Delhi. Having participated in the Republic Day parade for the past three years, Tamil Nadu was gearing up with around seven sketches to display the state’s culture, valour and the contribution by freedom fighters.

Apparently, the expert committee was not satisfied with the designs. In fact, sources in the state secretariat said that one of the members in the expert committee asked, “Who is V.O. Chidambaram? Is he a businessman?” The tableau was rejected saying it was a “harsh portrayal”, said sources in the Tamil Nadu Information Department.

In his statement Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said that Tamil Nadu has contributed to the freedom struggle no less than any other state, for over 250 years. “The Vellore mutiny, or Vellore Revolution, occurred on 10 July 1806 and was the first instance of a large-scale and violent mutiny by Indian sepoys against the East India Company, predating the Indian Rebellion of 1857 by half a century. Similarly, 75 years ahead of Jhansi Rani entered the freedom struggle, Velu Nachiyar of Tamil Nadu opposed Britishers vehemently and lost her country,” he said in his statement.