Many tableau's were rejected, especially of states which are not ruled by BJP.

Due to rejection, a row erupted between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government and the Centre over the Republic Day tableaux.

On the occasion of Republic Day, the design proposed by the state were showcased at the state-level program in Ludhiana today, where CM Bhagwant Mann unfurled the tricolor.

The Punjab tableaux at Ludhiana’s PAU grounds showcased Punjab’s culture, heritage, history, and current projects in the state, such as the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Girls, women sewing phulkari, folk dances like bhangra and giddha, girls playing hockey, prominent freedom fighters including Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Kartar Singh Sarabha, and historic incidents such as Jallianwala Bagh and the Komagata Maru ship, among others, as reported by IndianExpress.

Mann asked people to point out what was wrong with the tableaux proposed by Punjab for the Republic Day parade in Delhi that were rejected by the PM Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.

“Today, during the Republic Day parade in Ludhiana, we showcased the tableaux rejected by the Centre… Today, Punjabis living all over the world are seeing these creations… You also see and tell me what is wrong with them,” wrote Mann in a post on X.

Mann alleged that Punjab’s tableaux were deliberately not selected for showcasing in Delhi as the Centre wants to “wipe out opposition-ruled states from displaying their culture, history, and heritage.” He said that if the BJP had its way, they would even remove the name of “Punjab” from the country’s national anthem. Hitting back at Mann, BJP state president Sunil Jakhar alleged that Punjab tableaux were rejected as the Punjab government had proposed to put photos of Mann and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on them. However, later Mann and the Ministry of Defence made proposed designs public which had no such photos, prompting Mann to call Jakhar “the biggest liar.”