Why were the tableaux of Punjab and West Bengal removed from the Republic Day Parade? Defense Ministry replied

The ministry said that 30 states and union territories of the country have sent proposals to include their tableaux in the parade, but out of these only 15 or 16 tableaux can be included.

The ministry said the proposal for the tableau of Punjab was considered in the first three rounds of the expert committee meeting. After the third round of meetings, Punjab's tableau was not considered. It said the tableau was not considered further as it was not in line with the broader themes of this time's parade.

At the same time, the proposal for the tableau of West Bengal was considered in the first two rounds of the meeting of the expert committee. After the second round of meetings, the tableau of West Bengal was not considered. This too was not found to be by the theme this time.

The ministry's response came even after opposition leaders made allegations of discrimination. The notice said that tableaux from Punjab have been included in the Republic Day parade 6 times in the last 8 years. At the same time, the tableaux of Bengal have been included 5 times. The ministry said that all this happens according to a procedure.