'Punjab's Republic Day Tableau Snubbed Again': Bhagwant Mann Hits Out At Centre

When asked about the reason for rejection, Mann responded that they were only informed about the selected states' list without specific details on the rejection reasons.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann criticised the BJP-led central government on Wednesday for not including the state's tableau in the Republic Day parade, alleging discrimination against Punjab, news agency PTI reported. 

Mann, addressing a press conference in Chandigarh after visiting Fatehgarh Sahib, expressed dissatisfaction with the Centre's decision, stating that, similar to the previous year, Punjab's tableau will once again be absent from the Republic Day parade on January 26.

"The Centre has discriminated against Punjab," Mann alleged, pointing out that both Punjab and Delhi were not included in the list of selected states for the parade.

On Wednesday, Mann revealed that they had received a letter from the Centre confirming the exclusion of Punjab's tableau.

As per the report, when asked about the reason for rejection, Mann responded that they were only informed about the selected states' list without specific details on the rejection reasons.

"Every year on Republic Day, states showcase their culture and traditions through their tableaux," Mann explained.

He disclosed that the Centre had requested Punjab's willingness for the state's tableau, and on August 4, 2023, they expressed readiness not only for January 2024 but also for 2025 and 2026.

"We proposed three tableaux from Punjab for shortlisting, providing designs, and our officers held meetings with the Centre. The proposed themes were 'Punjab Kurbaniya ate Shahadatan Da Itihaas,' 'Nari Shakti - Mai Bhago,' the first lady warrior of Sikhism, and 'Punjab da Ameer Virsa te Odi Peshkari,'" Mann was quoted as saying by PTI.

In response to Mann's statement, the BJP said that Mann is following footsteps of his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal in terms of levelling false allegations at the Centre-ruling party. BJP National Secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa told PTI: "Lies and dishonesty are the part of modus operandi of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, and he has learned these from his leader Arvind Kejriwal who has been doing the same for the last 9 years. They don’t do work, and purposely send projects and ideas that are bound to get rejected. They then play sympathy card for the same". 

Among the selected states for the Republic Day parade include Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Odisha, Manipur, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Goa, Meghalaya, Ladakh, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, according to Mann.