category Regional, jchandigarh, , tags Regional, jchandigarh, , DW BUREAU JChandigarh Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday again hit out at the Centre over the non-inclusion of the state s tableau in the Republic Day parade in Delhi, saying the occasion cannot be imagined without a state that has made countless sacrifices for the motherland. Addressing a Republic Day function in Ludhiana, Mann said the tableaux which were rejected by the Centre were on Friday included in the parade in the state. Mann also took on the Centre on some other issues and said Punjab is a very loyal state and a situation should not be created where this loyalty is mistrusted. The chief minister had recently said the Narendra Modi government rejected the tableau of his state because of the Centre s anti-Punjab syndrome . The Centre has rejected as baseless Mann s criticism of the BJP-led government for not including the state s tableau in the Republic Day parade and his allegations of discrimination. In a statement following Mann s allegations, the defence ministry had said, The tableau proposal of Punjab was considered in the first three rounds of a meeting of the expert committee. After the third round ... the tableau of Punjab could not be taken forward ... for not aligning to the broader themes of this year s tableau. At the Ludhiana Republic Day event, where he unfurled the national flag, Mann said Punjabis made countless sacrifices for the motherland, fought wars and were at the forefront of the country s freedom struggle. But it is sad when Punjab s tableaux are not included in the Republic Day parade. Just now, we have taken out these tableaux here before you. Is there anything in them which is odd he asked the gathering. These tableaux show photos of our prominent freedom fighters, our rich culture, sacrifices of our valiant heroes. Then how can you celebrate and imagine a Republic Day without them he said. Mann said Punjab meets the food needs of the nation. Our water table has gone down. And then they take cudgels, they tell us they won t give MSP (Minimum Support Price for crops), he said, attacking the Centre. The chief minister said Punjab shares a 553-kilometre-long border with Pakistan and drones, drugs, weapons keep coming in from there. We have to pay attention on that front too . Punjab is a very loyal state. Kindly don t create such a situation, don t mistrust our loyalty, he added. (editor dailyworld.in)