Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann slams Centre for excluding state's tableau from Republic Day parade 2024; Ministry of Defence said this in reply

The criticism leveled by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government for excluding the state's tableau from the Republic Day parade 2024 has been dismissed by the Centre as 'baseless.' Mann accused the central government of discrimination, asserting that both Punjab and Delhi were omitted from the list of states with selected tableaux for the January 26 parade.

In response, the Ministry of Defence issued a statement explaining that an expert committee evaluates tableau proposals, considering various artistic fields. The committee considered Punjab's proposal in the initial three rounds but decided not to advance it further, citing misalignment with this year's broader themes.

The defence ministry clarified that states not chosen for the Republic Day parade 2024 were invited to present their tableaux at Bharat Parv at the Red Fort from January 23-31, as per an MoU signed with the states and UTs. However, Mann declared that Punjab would not participate in Bharat Parv.

Mann, in a Punjabi post on 'X,' confirmed that Punjab's tableau, intended to showcase the sacrifices of freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, and Lala Lajpat Rai, would not be relegated to 'rejected categories.'

The ministry emphasized that shortlisting was necessary due to time constraints in the parade and mentioned that, for the Republic Day parade 2024, 30 states and UTs expressed willingness to participate. Only 15-16 would ultimately be selected, as is the norm every year.

The statement of the defence ministry highlighted the MoU signed with Punjab and Delhi. It said that the states had agreed to display their tableaux in one of the three years starting from January 26, 2024. The ministry dismissed the criticism as unfounded, emphasizing that Punjab's tableau had been shortlisted six times in the last eight years.

Referring to West Bengal, the ministry disclosed that its tableau proposal faced a similar fate, being considered in the first two rounds but not aligning with the year's broader themes. West Bengal's tableau had been shortlisted five times in the last eight years, according to the statement.