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Politics Over Republic Day Tableau

The ministry of defense has declared the list of the states/UTs/ministries/departments whose tableau are going to participate in the grand republic day parade of 2020. A total of 22 proposals are accepted out of 56. Kerala, Maharashtra and West Bengal didn’t find a space in the list.
This has sparked a political controversy. The opposition has started charging the union government of playing vendetta politics in selecting republic day tableaux.

Centre’s Justification

The officials of the union government said that the West Bengal, Maharashtra and Kerala tableaux were rejected after being examined in 2 rounds of meeting.
West Bengal tableau's proposal was examined by the expert committee. A well-established system is followed for the selection of tableau for the republic day parade.
Ministry of defense invites proposals from all States, UTs, Central Ministries and Departments. These proposals are later evaluated in a series of meetings of the expert committee. The committee comprises of eminent persons from the fields of Art, Culture, Painting, Sculpture, Music, and Choreography. Proposals are examined on the basis of theme, concept, design and its visual impact. Time constraint permits a limited number of tableau being shortlisted for participation in the parade.

Opposition’s Remarks

The opposition has started condemning the move.  Kerala Law Minister AK Balan said that rejection after the third phase cannot happen without political interference. 
In Maharashtra, both, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party have accused the BJP-led Centre of being prejudiced and demanded an explanation.
Supriya Sule said the Republic Day is a "festival of the country" and the center is expected to give "representation to all the states".
Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said that it's discriminatory and is happening because Mamta Banerjee led TMC has been opposing the center's CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and the NRC (National Register of Citizens) plans.
In Kerala, the government and the opposition came together and pass a resolution against the law.

What The Opposition Is Trying To Convey

By passing the resolution against the CAA in the Kerala legislative assembly, and the same indications shown by the various opposition governments in various states, be it West Bengal, Punjab, Maharashtra, the opposition is trying to register its protest. 
The resolution passed by the Kerala legislative assembly reflects a legitimate concern that in enacting the CAA, the Centre has employed a discriminatory norm into the law. There is justified opposition across India on the amendment’s implications, especially in combination with the expected follow-up action in the form of NRC. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has spoken out against the CAA’s discriminatory nature. The Centre must make an effort to understand the underpinnings of the ongoing protests against the amendments in the citizenship act.

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