The Centre on December 31 rejected as "baseless" Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's criticism of the BJP-led government for not including the State's tableau in the Republic Day parade 2024 and his allegations of discrimination.
The AAP leader recently attacked the Central government for allegedly discriminating against Punjab and said that both Punjab and Delhi were excluded from the list of States whose tableaux have been selected for the parade on January 26.
In its response, the Ministry of Defence issued a statement saying tableaux proposals from States and Union territories and Central ministries or departments are evaluated by an "expert committee" comprising eminent persons in the fields of art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture and choreography among others.
