Republic Day 2020: West Bengal's Tableau Not to Feature in Parade, Disapproved by Defence Ministry
The Centre receives a slew of requests annually from States and Union Territories, along with various Central Ministries and Departments, to present their respective tableaus in the Republic Day parade. Due to schedule and programme constraints, the Defence Ministry examines the proposals and shortlists among them.
New Delhi, January 1: In what could spark a fresh row between the Centre and the West Bengal government, the Defence Ministry on Sunday decided not to approve the state's tableau for the Republic Day 2020 parade. After being reviewed twice by the Expert Committee, the Ministry decided to exclude Bengal's tableau from the list of spectacles in the national capital on January 26.
"The tableau proposal of Govt. of West Bengal was examined by the Expert Committee in two rounds of meetings and was not taken forward for further consideration by the Expert Committee after deliberations in the second meeting," said the statement issued by the Defence Ministry. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to be Chief Guest at India's Republic Day 2020 Celebrations.
The Centre receives a slew of requests annually from States and Union Territories, along with various Central Ministries and Departments, to present their respective tableaus in the Republic Day parade. Due to schedule and programme constraints, the Defence Ministry examines the proposals and shortlists among them.
"For Republic Day Parade 2020, 56 tableaux proposals, including 32 from States and UTs and 24 from Ministries and Departments, were received. Out of these, 22 proposals, comprising of 16 States-UTs and six Ministries and Departments, have been shortlisted for participation in the parade after a series of five meetings," said the Defence Ministry statement.
Update by ANI
The West Bengal government is currently at loggerheads with the Centre on the issue of CAA-NRC. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that her government would not be carrying out the National Population Register (NPR) updation process, which is considered to be a precursor to the NRC exercise. According to the Trinamool Congress chief, the citizenship agenda of the Modi government is a ploy to divide India on communal lines. "Till I am alive, the CAA-NRC-NPR will not be implemented in Bengal," she said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 01, 2020 10:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).