After Modi's U'khand Cap & Manipur Stole, Another Poll-bound State Becomes Highlight of 2022's R-Day

Uttar Pradesh’s tableau, showcasing the Kashi Vishwanath Dham’s glorious history and state’s progress due to schemes like skill development and One District One Product (ODOP), was on Friday adjudged the best tableau of Republic Day parade 2022. The defence ministry said that Maharashtra has won in the popular choice category, while Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was named best marching contingent among CAPF.

The Uttar Pradesh tableau focused on the state’s development aided by the new micro, small and medium enterprise policy and industrial development policy of the UP government. The handicraft products and traditional crafts of each district was showcased on the front side of the tableau. Soon after the parade, many on Twitter lauded PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath.

Two months ago, in December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Rs 700 crore Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi. The mega project comprises 24 buildings including an emporium, a museum, a sacred kitchen, a Vedic library and centre to store ancient scriptures, a city gallery and a food court – all built around the temple that serves as one of the nerve centres of the Hindu faith, attracting seven million pilgrims annually.

The showpiece of the project is the restoration of the link between the Ganga and the temple, an ancient connection that had been cut off by years of encroachment, construction and population.

During his visit to his constituency, Modi had said the complex has been expanded from 3,000 to 500,000 square feet, and between 50,000 and 75,000 devotees could gather at any given time. He credited the workers for finishing the project despite the pandemic.

In 2021’s Republic Day parade too, Uttar Pradesh’s tableau was adjudged the best and awarded by Union minister Kiren Rijiju. In total 32 tableaux — 17 from state and union territories, nine from Union ministries, departments, and paramilitary forces, and six from the Defence ministry — were part of it.

The theme of the 2021 tableau was ‘Ayodhya: Cultural Heritage of Uttar Pradesh’. The cultural heritage of ancient holy town Ayodhya, replica of a Ram temple, glimpse of ‘Deepotsav’ and various stories from Ramayana epic were depicted in the tableau.

The best tableau award to UP comes at a time when it’s set to go to polls next month. Interestingly, glimpses of other poll-bound states were seen in PM Narendra Modi’s attire on Republic Day. The prime minister had ditched his traditional turban and wore a Uttarakhandi cap with an image of a brahma kamal, the state flower, and sported a Manipuri stole.

Two days later, on January 28, PM Modi donned a Sikh cadet turban while attending a rally of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in New Delhi. He wore a rifle-green turban with a red-coloured feather — similar to how Sikh cadets wear it in the NCC — for the rally at the Cariappa parade ground.

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