New Delhi: The Union government’s decision to deny Karnataka an opportunity to showcase its tableau during the Republic Day parade this year has kicked off a controversy in the state, with the opposition Congress slamming the Basvaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.In effect, there will be no float of Karnataka at the parade for the first time in 13 years. The government had proposed to showcase the state’s millet diversity through the Republic Day parade tableau. Last year, the state’s tableau ‘the cradle of traditional handicrafts’ was adjudged second best.With the opposition slamming the Basavaraj Bommai, Union and state governments sought to underline that it was not a rejection per se but the decision was based on the selection process and there was no political interference.According to NDTV, Union minister Prahlad Joshi said, “Out of all the states and Union territories that want to participate, about 12 get selected. For 13 years, Karnataka has got it. If all states get it every year, we will have to have 36 tableaux. The parade will go on for 4-5 hours then. This selection process has no political or bureaucratic interference and is done by experts, therefore it’s not right to create controversy over this.”Karnataka nodal officer for Republic Day tableau, C.R. Naveen spoke on the same lines. “Regarding the participation of states’ tableau in Republic Day parade this year, Government of India has issued guidelines, providing opportunity to the states that did not take part/took part least number of times during the last eight years. Hence, the state of Karnataka has not got the chance to take part in the Republic Day parade.”“Moreover, if the lists of states that took part in the previous year and the states selected this year are compared, it is evident that all the three prize-winning states in 2022 are not selected this year. And also except for three states, the rest of the states that took part last year are not selected,” news agency PTI quoted Naveen as saying.Congress leader and the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Siddaramaih, slammed the Bommai government. “It is unfortunate to know that Karnataka will not be participating in the Republic Day parade this year. Rejection of Karnataka’s tableaux reflects how serious Karnataka BJP is about upholding the pride of our state,” he said in a series of tweets on Saturday, January 7.He went on further to allege that the ‘rejection’ of Karnataka’s tableau was due to the “incapable and weak” Bommai government.Incapable & weak @BSBommai and his cabinet ministers are worried about looting government resources through 40% commission.Had they put in a little more thought in designing the theme, Karnataka could have presented its tableaux on the Republic Day.— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 7, 2023.@BJP4Karnataka leaders are known for only making noise in our state, but are cowards in front of their high command.State BJP govt has pledged our pride to accommodate the interests of their high command.Did any of the BJP MPs raise objections for rejecting our tableaux?— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 7, 2023Another Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP L. Hanumanthaiah also came down on the BJP-led Union government. “It doesn’t believe in power-sharing between different governments. This is really condemnable. Every BJP and non-BJP state has the right to represent their tableau in the Republic Day parade,” he said, according to NDTV.A government official told Deccan Herald that Karnataka was “perhaps the only state in the country” that was able to display the state’s culture through tableaux for 13 years in a row.“In these years, [the tableaux] has won prizes for its theme. The state had won first prize for Shravanabelagola Gommateshwara statue tableau in 2005, four times it bagged second prize and three times it bagged third prize,” the official said.