The Centre’s decision to not include Karnataka’s tableau for the upcoming Republic Day parade in Delhi has sparked a row with the Congress government in the state terming it an “insult to 7 crore Kannadigas” and the BJP hitting back, accusing it of politicising the issue. “The central government has insulted 7 crore Kannadigas by denying the opportunity for the state’s tableau at the Republic Day parade…,” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday. The Centre has rejected all the proposals sent by the state, which included a tableau of Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar and his contributions to democracy and development of Karnataka, of Kittur Rani Chennamma and Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, apart from proposals to depict the state’s natural beauty and Brand Bengaluru. “The fact that the Congress government is in power in the state seems to be a concerning factor to the BJP-led central government. From the devolution of tax to the injustice in drought relief to the sale of banks, ports, and airports built by Kannadigas, the central government is constantly attacking Kannadigas with political malice. Now, by denying the state the opportunity in the tableau presentation, it has attacked our identity again,” he said in a tweet, adding that Kannadigas were enraged by the continuous injustice from the Centre. In response, the state BJP accused the Congress government of politicising the issue. “Karnataka has got an opportunity for the last 14 years. Every state has to get the opportunity. Hence the state missed this time,” BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said. Noting that Karnataka had missed the opportunity last time too, he said that the then BJP government had rushed to Delhi to ensure that the state gets another chance. “But this time, the state government did not do that. Instead of making it a political issue, they should have approached the Centre,” he said. This is the second year in a row that the rejection of the tableau from Karnataka for the Republic Day parade has stirred controversy. Though Karnataka had not featured in the list last year, the central government permitted it at the last minute after the BJP came under attack over the issue, months ahead of polls in the state.
