mumbai

Updated: Jan 03, 2020 07:46 IST

The Central government has not selected Maharashtra’s tableau for the Republic Day parade in Delhi on January 26 this year. The state cultural affairs department had suggested four themes, but none of them were selected by the Centre.

The decision turned controversial after senior leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena accused the Centre of acting “vengeful” with “mala fide intention”.

Baramati MP Supriya Sule has termed the decision “unfortunate” and demanded that it be reconsidered. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said that it was an insult to the state.

“The Centre has rejected permissions to the tableau 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. But the government is behaving in a prejudiced manner. It is giving step-motherly treatment to the states being ruled by the opposition parties,” Sule said in a series of tweets on Thursday.

“It is unfortunate that Maharashtra’s tableau wasn’t selected by the Centre on merit basis for the Republic Day parade this year. Participating in the parade is not political but a matter of [pride] for Maharashtra. The Centre should reconsider its decision as Maharashtra has many times won prizes for its tableau,” she tweeted.

“The tableaus from Maharashtra and West Bengal will not be seen during the Republic Day parade. Is there any political conspiracy behind? We are real patriots, is it a crime?” Raut said in a series of tweets.

“This is an insult [to] Maharashtra as our tableau has always been at the centre of attraction during the parade. We have also won first prize many times. By side-lining Maharashtra what the Centre is trying to prove? If this would have happened during Congress rule then the state BJP unit would have created a ruckus,” he said.

The state cultural affairs department has suggested four themes for the tableau that include — 175 years of Marathi stage; 350th birth anniversary of Kanhoji Angre, the first notable chief of Maratha Navy; story of Maharashtra’s traditional wear, and centenary year of Geet Ramayana.

However, none of them qualified for the tableau this year said a senior official from the state cultural affairs department.

“We have yet to be informed about the decision,” he said. This is not the first time the tableau from the state was not selected for the Republic Day parade. It wasn’t selected in 2016, 2013, 2008, and in 2005 as well, the official informed.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar told reporters that Sule should not bring politics into everything.