Prejudiced' Centre rejected Maharashtra, Bengal tableaux for R-Day parade: Sule

Mumbai/Kolkata: The NCP and Shiv Sena on Thursday targeted the Modi government for rejecting Maharashtra's tableau for the Republic Day parade, with the Sharad Pawar-led party dubbing the move an insult to the state.

NCP MP Supriya Sule claimed the Centre has denied permission to the tableaux from the non-BJP-ruled Maharashtra and West Bengal, adding the Modi government was behaving in a "prejudiced" manner.

She said the two states had played a key role in the freedom struggle and the decision to deny permission to their tableaux was an "insult" of the people.

"The Centre has rejected permissions to the tableaux of Maharashtra and West Bengal from parading on Republic Day. It is a festival of the country and the Centre is expected to give representation to all the states," Sule tweeted.

"But the government is behaving in a prejudiced manner, giving step-motherly treatment to the states being ruled by the opposition parties," she added.

The Parliamentarian from Baramati also shared a news report that claims that the Defence Ministry has rejected West Bengal's tableau for the Republic Day parade (on January 26).

"You will have to explain why the tableaux of the two states were rejected. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra should probe the matter. It has to be found out who is responsible for this. Are there elements having loyalty to previous government? There may not be. But this has to be probed," Sena MP Sanjay Raut told a news channel.

Sule and Raut were responding to reports that the Ministry of Defence has selected 22 tableaux out of 56 proposals for the Republic Day parade. The selected tableau will feature 16 states and Union Territories and six Central ministries.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress called it an insult to the people of the state.

Accusing the Centre of having a "vindictive attitude" against the state, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Tapas Roy said: "Just because West Bengal has been opposing the anti-people policies of the BJP government, a step-motherly treatment is being meted out. As we have opposed anti-people laws like CAA, the Centre has rejected our tableau proposal."

This is not the first time that West Bengal's tableau proposal has been rejected. There have been previous instances also, he added.

"Such cheap politics won't deter us from opposing anti-people policies. The BJP has insulted the people of West Bengal and they would get a befitting reply for it in the near future," the TMC minister added.