JOIN USNarayana Guru tableau row: Joshi says precedent followed, but lies spread
Charging that the Communist government in Kerala which once broke the state of Narayan Guru is playing politics over the issue of excluding Kerala's Sree Narayana Guru tableau from Republic Day parade, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday stated that that Kerala's tableau was excluded as per the unwritten precedent of giving chance to a state once in three years.
"It is a big lie that the tableau was dropped because it is of Sree Narayana Guru, and the Centre also did not ask Kerala to bring a tableau of Shankaracharya. Big lie is being spread mentioning the Cenrte just for politics. Congress leaders like Siddaramaiah should also verify the facts before making any statement," Joshi said.
Among 36 states and union territories, the practice is to select 12 tableaux every year. Each state usually gets a chance once in three years, except in case of some special occasion. This precedent started when the Congress itself was in power, and we did not made it. Kerala presented its tableau in 2018 and 2021, and naturally it could not get the chance this time, and they did not comply to some rules also, Joshi noted.
We did not reject the tableau because it is if Sree Narayana Guru, and we also did not instructed for Shankaracharya tableau from Kerala. We respect both great personalities. Those who are giving wrong statements on this issue should rectify that, Joshi added.
On UP polls
Commenting on Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Joshi said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath suppressed goonda raj there, and people there are with Yogi and Modi. A few leaders leaving or joining the party would not have impact on the entire results of the polls. he said, mentioning the suspension of Harak Singh Rawat.
Yogi Adityanath changing his constituency was not at all discussed, and he just said that the party's central leadership would decide. He is contesting from his home constituency of Gorakhpur, Joshi said.
All surveys and our internal survey are showing that we are ahead in terms of Assembly elections of five states, he added.
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