Majority of non-Bharatiya Janata Party ruled states like Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, were among the 13 states that went unrepresented in showcasing their heritage through floats at the 66th Republic Day celebrations on Monday.
Rajasthan and Punjab, where BJP is in power or shares power with its ally Shiromani Akali Dal, were surprisingly not among the 16 states that displayed their rich culture through their tableaux.
Some of the north-eastern states of Nagaland, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram, besides Himachal Pradesh and NCT of Delhi also went unrepresented at the Republic Day celebrations in the national capital that saw US President Barack Obama as the first-ever American president to be the chief guest.
No tableau from among any of the Union Territories in the country rode past the Rajpath at the celebrations.
Among the 25 colourful tableaux from 16 states and other Central government departments that depicted the rich cultural heritage and diversity of the country also showcased some of the new schemes enunciated by the National Democratic Alliance government.
Some of these include Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet projects like ‘Make in India’ aimed at promoting manufacturing sector, Jan Dhan Yojna for financial inclusion of all, ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme for saving and educating the girl child, ‘Save Ganga’ project for saving river Ganga from pollution and promotion of alternative medicine system besides introduction of bullet trains.
Telangana, which was the latest state to be carved out of Andhra Pradesh last year, made its debut at the Republic Day celebrations through its tableau with the theme ‘Bonaalu’ -- the illustrious state festival celebrated to worship Mahankali goddess.
