PM Modi’s brother a ‘tableau expert’ for Ekta Parade? Congress has questions

Accusing the BJP of exploiting the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for partisan ends, the Congress on Friday alleged irregularities in the organisation of the proposed Ekta Parade to mark Patel’s 150th birth anniversary in Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the parade last year and shared photographs of the event on X.

Senior Gujarat Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil said the Union home ministry headed by Amit Shah issued a circular stating that all tableaux for the Ekta Parade could be prepared only by five selected firms:

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Questioning the process, Gohil said it remains a mystery why only these five firms were empanelled. He pointed out that two of the five are run by Siddheshwar Kanuga and his wife Visha Kanuga.

More controversially, he alleged that another circular dated 29 October stated that the tableaux prepared by these five firms would be finalised solely by Pankaj Modi.

“Not only was Pankaj Modi appointed as the final authority, he has also been designated as the judge of the tableaux, despite having no prior expertise in this field,” Gohil said.

Pankaj Modi is the brother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and retired from the Gujarat government’s information department as a Class I officer, having joined the service in 1981 as a Class III employee. “The Government of India has suddenly made him a ‘tableau expert’ and is now extending all kinds of facilities to him,” Gohil alleged.

The Ekta Parade, also known as the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Parade, is a grand annual event held on 31 October at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Organised by the ministry of home affairs with the support of the Gujarat government, the parade features performances by paramilitary forces and police contingents, vibrant cultural troupes from across the country, and, on select occasions, aerial displays.

Raising a series of pointed questions, the Congress leader asked:

• On what basis were these five firms selected to prepare the tableaux?

• If preparations were underway for over a year, how did the government cite a shortage of time?

• Why was a husband-wife pair included among the chosen firms?

• With numerous professional tableau experts available across the country, how was a former Class III employee elevated as the final authority?