Amit Mitra, principal chief advisor to Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday referred to recent comments made by Anita Bose-Pfaff, daughter of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, to express his displeasure with the Centre’s decision to omit Bengal’s tableau from the Republic Day parade in Delhi on January 26.

The float was based on Netaji and his Indian National Army to commemorate his 125th birth anniversary year.

Referring to the rejection of the Bengal tableau, Bose-Pfaff had told PTI earlier this week: “I don’t know under what circumstances it happened and why the tableau was not included. There might be some reasons. We can’t imagine that the Republic Day function in the year when my father would have turned 125 is being held and his tableau was not included, it seems very strange.”

Netaji’s daughter lives in Germany.

In a tweet on Thursday, Mitra said: “Saddened by my Aunt & life long friend Anita Bose P. who missed the CONTEXT behind rejection of Tableau of Bengal,Kerala,Tamil Nadu- States all governed by NonBJP parties! India is plagued by Anti-Federalism & Divisiveness.The Strategic Rejection is a Symptom of this decay.”

“Bengal’sTableau had Netaji,INA & Icons of the Renaissance. Kerala had great Social Reformer NarayanGuru & Tamil Nadu had freedom fighters like Rani Velu Nachiyar (1780-1790) - all REJECTED. What you call ‘petty fight’ Anita, is in fact a fight to protect Soul of India’s diversity,” the former Bengal finance minister, who is from Netaji’s family, wrote in another tweet.

The Centre’s decision to reject the tableau of Bengal and other states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu has created a political controversy.

Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her Tamil Nadu counterpart M.K. Stalin wrote letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to intervene and include the tableaux from the states.