The Bengal government’s tableau — Ekotai Sampriti (unity is harmony) — that took part in the Republic Day parade on Red Road here on Friday was seen as an attempt by Mamata Banerjee to counter the Sangh parivar’s Hindutva pitch in the wake of the Ram temple’s consecration in Ayodhya.
The tableau was decorated with photographs of different religions’ shrines.
“Sending across the message of religious and communal harmony is not new for the government but this time, the tableau was given priority and displayed attractively as part of the Republic Day march,” said a state government official.
The theme of the tableau was dharma jar jar, utsav sabar (religion is personal, festival is universal), a slogan that Mamata has used multiple times to define her understanding of secularism vis-a-vis the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The temple had been consecrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ayodhya on January 22.
The colourful tableau that was taken out by the department of information and cultural affairs portrayed how people of different religions in Bengal as well as the country stay together happily. On the tableau, eight men and women, dressed to represent different religions, danced under an Ekata Briksha (tree of unity) to the tune of “Sare jahan se achha, Hindustan humara”.
Mamata, who was present at the Republic Day celebrations on Red Road, wrote on social media that despite challenges, the country always stood as “one”.
“Today, as we commemorate the 75th Republic Day of India, I am filled with a profound sense of pride. For 75 long years, despite the challenges, our nation stands as ONE!” she wrote on her Facebook handle.
“It is the constitution of India, intricately crafted by our forefathers, that instills our country with the enduring values of Democracy, Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity,” she added.