Shiv Sena fumes as Maharashtra tableau gets axed from Republic Day parade after Bengal

In a shocking development, Maharashtra government's tableau proposal for the Republic Day 2020 parade has been excluded, as informed by Sena MP Sanjay Raut. The Shiv Sena has hit out at Maharashtra BJP for not opposing this exclusion - stating its ally-turned-foe would have hit out had it been Congress government at the Centre. Raut stated that the was it the Maha Vikas Aghadi's fault that they were patriotic, pointing out that Maharashtra had won first place several times in the Republic Day parade tableau.

Sena fumes after Maharashtra tableau gets axed

(Is there a political conspiracy behind the tableau of Maharashtra and West Bengal that should not be seen on Republic Day at this time? Is it our crime that we are intensely patriotic?)

(Maharashtra's tableau on Rajpath has always been the attraction of the country often winning first place. Which prize horse will the Government of India showcase, excluding Maharashtra? Had this happened in the Congress regime, the Maharashtra BJP would have slammed. Why silent today?)

Republic Day 2020: Centre rejects Mamata-led West Bengal government's tableau proposal

Mahayuti fallout

Following the Maharashtra Assembly polls, Shiv Sena reiterated that it will accept only the 50:50 formula, BJP denied ever having agreed to such a formula reportedly offering 13 cabinet portfolios to Sena while keeping 26 for its ministers. Apart from Sena's portfolio demand, the party had demanded a sharing of 2.5 years in the CM post too; this has been refused by Devendra Fadnavis leading to fallout. After a failed four-day stint of a BJP-Ajit Pawar government, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in as the Maharashtra Chief Minister.

22 tableau proposals out of 56 short-listed for Republic Day parade

Bengal tableau axed

Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defence rejected the West Bengal government's tableau proposal for the Republic Day parade on January 26. It said that the proposal was rejected by the expert committee in two rounds of meetings. On the other hand, 22 proposals comprising 16 States and Union Territories and six ministries and departments have been shortlisted from 56 proposals  (32 from States/UTs and 24 from Ministries/Departments) for participation in the parade after a series of five meetings. The tableaux proposals received from various States, Union Territories, Central ministries and departments are evaluated in a series of meetings of an expert committee comprising eminent persons in the field of art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography, etc and the Ministry stated that several proposals were rejected due to time constraints.

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