For the first time, four veterans from the Indian National Army (INA) of Netaji Subhash Chadra Bose will take part in the Republic Day parade on Rajpath. The move is seen as acknowledging the contribution of the INA in the Indian independence movement, as successive governments in the past have not given such honour to it.
In October last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hoisted the national flag at the Red Fort in New Delhi to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Azad Hind government, formed by Bose. While interacting with some of the veterans of the INA at the event, Modi even wore its cap.
In political optics, the move is seen as taking away the legacy of Bose, who quit from the Indian National Congress as its president in 1939. Bose then formed the Forward Block before leaving for Germany. On October 21, 1943, Bose announced independent Indian government named Azad Hind government.
"We have invited four veterans from the INA, which was initially formed by the Rash Behari Bose. Later on, Netati Subhash Chadra Bose took over it," said Major General Rajpal Punia, deputy parade commander. "It's a new and good beginning that we are acknowledging their contribution to the freedom struggle. Even the Indian Army has some connects to the INA," he added.
The four veterans—Lalit Ram (98) from Panchukula, Hira Singh (97) from Narnaul, Bhagmal (100) from Manesar and Parmanand Yadav (95) from Chandigarh—will be paraded in an open jeep, right after the jeep carrying Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awardees on the historic Rajpath.
Besides INA veterans' participation, the parade will be dominated by naari shakti with maximum women participation. Out of the 16 marching contingent, four contingent will be led by women officers, including the all women contingent from Assam Rifles. However, the number of contingent of armed forces has been reduced to accommodate the tableaux from various ministries, departments and states.
"In order to accommodate more number of tableaux, the number of marching contingent has been reduced. We can not increase the length of the parade, as we need to complete it within the stipulated 90 minutes," Maj Gen Punia said.
Showcasing military might, the newly inducted M-777 and K-9 Vajra ultra-light howitzers and artillery guns will be paraded along with Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile and the Armoured Recovery and Repair Vehicle of DRDO, Arjun.
A total of 22 tableaux will take part in the parade under the theme of Mahatama Gandhi.