Centre's rejection of Netaji's tableau: PIL in HC filed

Kolkata: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in Calcutta High Court regarding the rejection of Netaji's tableau for the Republic Day parade by the Central government.

The PIL, filed by advocate Ramaprasad Sarkar, sought a reply from the Modi government as to why it has rejected Bengal's proposed tableau for the Republic Day parade themed on Netaji and his Indian National Army. The case is likely to be heard next week.

Expressing 'shock' over the Centre's rejection of the proposed tableau of the Bengal government for the ensuing Republic Day parade, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to reconsider the decision and include the tableau of freedom fighters from West Bengal in the parade.

Banerjee stated in her letter that she was hurt at the abrupt exclusion of the float that was commemorating the contributions of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and his INA on the iconic leader's 125th birth anniversary and was carrying portraits of the most illustrious sons and daughters of this country.

The Chief Minister reiterated that the people of West Bengal are deeply pained by this attitude of the Central government as Bengal had been at the forefront of the Indian freedom struggle and had paid the heaviest price for the country's independence through Partition and uprooting of millions of people.