“History should not be repeated. Let’s hope that nothing is declared tomorrow because perhaps the one who declares it will end up like the one declared it 83 years ago,” spokesman for Spain’s ruling People's Party (PP) Pablo Casado said on Monday. The statement came less than 24 hours ahead of Carles Puigdemont’s address to the Catalan parliament, where he is widely expected to defy the Madrid authorities and declare the region’s secession from Spain.

READ MORE: Hundreds of thousands rally against Catalan independence in Barcelona (VIDEOS)

Casado was apparently referring to Lluis Companys, president of Catalonia in the 1930s who proclaimed a ‘Catalan State within the Spanish Federal Republic’ in 1934. Companys had to flee after the Spanish Civil War to France, where he was later captured by the Nazis and handed over to Franco's regime. In 1940, Companys was tried for military rebellion and executed.

The comparison that came from a central government official has fueled tensions between Madrid and Barcelona. Casado’s statement drew controversy and condemnation from Spanish and Catalan officials alike.