The Trinamool Congress on Thursday alleged that the tableau proposed by West Bengal for the Republic Day parade was rejected for protesting against the amended Citizenship Act, and warned that the BJP would get a “befitting reply” for the move.
“Just because West Bengal has been opposing anti-people policies of the BJP government, a step-motherly treatment is being meted out to the state. As we have opposed anti-people laws like CAA, the Centre has rejected our tableau proposal,” West Bengal Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Tapas Roy told news agency PTI.
“This is not the first time that West Bengal’s proposal has been rejected,” he said adding that the BJP would get a “befitting reply” for it in the near future.
However, the West Bengal BJP hit back saying that the proposal was rejected as the state government did not properly follow the rules and procedure in submitting the proposal.
“The state government has not followed the rules. Other states have followed them, so their tableau proposals were accepted. The TMC should stop doing politics on each and every issue,” West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said.
The Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday informed that the tableau proposal made by Bengal has been rejected for the Republic Day parade this year after the expert committee made a few objections.
“The tableau proposal of the government of West Bengal was examined by the expert committee in two rounds of meetings. The tableau proposal of the government of West Bengal was not taken forward for further consideration by the expert committee after deliberations in the second meeting,” said the Defence Ministry in a statement.
The ministry stated that proposals of 16 States and Union Territories and six Ministries and Departments have been shortlisted for participation in Republic Day Parade 2020.
West Bengal’s tableau had found a place in last year’s Republic Day parade. However, in 2018, the state’s proposed tableau was rejected, following which, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of dividing the people on basis of religion.