Union Home Secretary Shri Govind Mohan addressed a Press Conference in New Delhi today on Rashtriya Ekta Diwas 2026 and Bharat Parv 2026 celebrations to be held in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat.

Briefing the media, Union Home Secretary said that this year’s Ekta Parade will be more vibrant, diverse and attractive. The main function will commence on 31st October 2026. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will pay tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the ‘Statue of Unity’ in the morning. Ekta Parade will be held in the evening. The Parade will lay emphasis on the massive achievement of getting India rid of armed Naxalism in 2026.

Shri Govind Mohan said that the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations at Ekta Nagar have been envisioned keeping two purposes in mind. The first purpose is to bring to the attention of the nation, the extraordinary work being done by the Police forces, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Central Police Organisations (CPOs) of the country. The second purpose is to invite the people from all parts of the country to witness and enjoy the local surroundings of Ekta Nagar, along with the largest statue in the world of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He said that several other attractions have been created around Ekta Nagar, which has now emerged as one of the most prominent and most attractive tourist destinations in the country.

Union Home Secretary said that during the Ekta Diwas parade, we will be celebrating the end of armed Naxalism in the country. He said this will be done through three different and unique performances:

1. This year’s parade contingents will include State Police forces and CAPFs who have been at the forefront of the country’s fight against armed Naxalism. During the passage of each of these contingents before the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 31st October, 2026, a short film will be displayed on several LED screens, summarizing the salient features of their singular achievements.
2. National School of Drama (NSD) will present with an array of around 2,000 artists, drawn from 126 districts of the country, which at some point have witnessed menace of armed Naxalism. These artists will, through their performances, showcase the struggle they have gone through when armed Naxalism was rampant and their lives and properties were threatened.
3. Around 5,000 people from these 126 districts have been invited. These will be spectators for all performances and they will also, through their interactions, recount their experiences during the era of armed Naxalism.

Union Home Secretary said that through these three elements, we will witness India's struggle against armed Naxalism, the fact that it has now been eradicated and most importantly in place of militancy and violence, today these districts are experiencing a wave of development.

Shri Govind Mohan said that the theme of cultural items in the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations is Vande Mataram. He said that this is the 150th year of Vande Mataram and many newly introduced features during this year’s parade have been drawn from Vande Mataram.

Home Secretary said that another new feature of this year’s celebrations is that the parade and all the performances will be held in the evening. He added that due to high temperatures during the daytime, it has been decided to hold the events in the evening, to make it more enthralling.

Union Home Secretary said that normally, the tableaus are made and designed by either government ministries/departments or by the state governments or other government entities. This time it has been decided to invite designs and features for the tableau through national competitions which were run on MyGov at the national level and also in every district of Gujarat.

Shri Govind Mohan said that weaving together all the themes and designs received from the national and the state-level competitions, a total of 15 tableaus will be made based on these designs. These designs will be made entirely by the public, without any involvement of any government ministry or department. Shri Mohan added that we are moving to the idea when tableau at important events will incorporate the aspirations of the common people of India rather than the structured themes of government entities and state governments. First time, a people's tableau will be witnessed in Ekta Nagar.

Union Home Secretary said that another important departure that we have made is on the cultural program. Until now, the cultural program was done by the culture ministry, but this time we have involved the people of Gujarat. In Gujarat, there are groups of people who come from different states of the country and have been living there for generations and they have made Gujarat their home. We reached out to these different groups and requested them to curate their own cultural performances, basis the performances emanating from the states to which they belong. Weaving together around 50 such elements, we have created a cultural performance, having about 5,000 artists. This is a great example of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, which will also be on display.

Shri Govind Mohan said that since last year, we have been hosting a large play, curated by the National School of Drama. Last year the theme was on Sardar Patel. This year being the year of Vande Mataram, the theme will be Anandamath, a path breaking novel of Shri Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya. This play will be based on Anandamath novel. However, the play will also be based on the abiding philosophy of Ananadamath, that every Indian has a responsibility towards building a bright future for the country, has to be aware of our cultural heritage and has to be a willing partner in fulfilling the nation's aspirations.

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