From tote bags to caps, politics for the ‘Gram

In an age where optics reign supreme, clothes are no longer mere fabrics, but vehicles of political identity. Recently, self-styled Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who wore a white T-shirt, wore a blue one to express his support for BR Ambedkar. Subtle symbolism, like carrying bags with messages like Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, with “Palestine” written on it, and BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi giving Priyanka a bag with “1984” written on it, are emerging trends in political communication. . Of course, Priyanka was not amused by Sarangi’s gift. But that’s another story.

Fashion as a political tool has always been about optics, hidden signals, tenor and tones. This is even more true today, with social networks and television channels available 24/7, more and more political speeches are staged, all for a trending hashtag or a few million views.

Everything for cameras

The just-concluded winter session of Parliament saw Priyanka taking oath as a Lok Sabha member from Wayanad on November 28.

Priyanka, draped in a Kerala Kasavu sari and, like her brother Rahul, also held a copy of the Constitution in her hand. The media hailed her as the third generation Gandhi for preserving her connection with ethnic fabrics.

Not only the sarees but also her accessories caught everyone’s attention, as they were supposed to.

On her first day in Lok Sabha after taking oath, Priyanka carried a personalized bag with the word ‘Palestine’, which sparked a lot of interest. It was posted on X by one of his followers on December 16.

For the shutterbugs, Priyanka upped her fashion statement with a ‘Bangladesh bag in solidarity with Hindus and Christians of Bangladesh’. In the last week of the winter session, when there was a continuing outcry over Home Minister Amit Shah’s so-called ‘anti-Ambedkar’ remarks in Rajya Sabha, Rahul took the opportunity to swap his trademark white polo shirt for a blue one. Priyanka also wore a blue sari in a symbolic gesture of the color blue, associated with Ambedkar, Dalit identity and activism.

Dilip Cherian, image guru, says: “There has been a return of symbolism or rather a generational shift among politicians. Previously it was “topi”, now it is T-shirts, sarees and handbags. They innovate for the new age. It’s more for optics at first. For the moment, this symbolism has neither content nor meaning. Maybe that will come later, when people start taking it seriously.

Political parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Azad Samaj-Kanshi Ram Party (ASP), which champion the interests of Dalits, have incorporated blue in their branding, thereby consolidating their position in Dalit politics.

“Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party wearing red topi; Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal wears a half sweater to represent the common man. The symbolic clothing worn by politicians is not intended for the masses. They play with the multimedia gallery: the visual, the meme and Insta,” explains Cherian.

In the Indian context, we have the khadi, which was a symbolic resistance against British oppression during the Indian freedom movement and later became the unspoken formal attire of politicians.

Priyanka’s grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, is often remembered for using traditional clothing/costumes to create a relatable image. Sonia Gandhi also adopted a similar style to her mother-in-law, wearing hand-woven saris and weaves, suited to the identity of the region and the event. The images of traditional Mekhela sarees in Assam, Kanjeevaram in Tamil Nadu, etc., captured on camera, were splashed. Portedarshan news and in newspapers.

Moving to the present, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is making a fashion statement every day with her beautifully chosen regional sarees, and with her signature sarees during the budget sessions. There are many other women politicians who are style icons of ethnic sarees.

Tokenism will not last

Public displays of expensive clothing and accessories have also gotten politicians into trouble.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monogrammed suit, which was said to exude ‘power’, ironically earned the Modi government the nickname ‘boot-suit ki sarkar’ from none other than Rahul Gandhi.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra made headlines in the last Lok Sabha for ‘hiding’ her Louis Vuitton bag in Parliament just as a debate on price rise began. The video clip created an uproar on social media as netizens attacked and trolled her for the “irony” of the situation and “hypocrisy”.

“There are statements made about the type of clothes worn, bags carried, even the most expensive ones. The idea is to highlight the causes and issues,” explains Harish Bijoor, business and brand strategy expert. He also reiterates: “The idea is to take photos and video clips and make them viral through social media. On top of that, mainstream media also seems to love all of this because it’s exciting content.

However, if there is no real intention to bring about change and it is just for the sake of social media buzz, it ruins the sincerity of fashion taking a stand, as is often the case with our current “netas”. The image of Priyanka in a traditional sari was helpful in expressing solidarity with her constituency, Wayanad. However, she chose to take the oath in Hindi and not in Malayalam, the local language of Kerala. It was bad optics. It doesn’t take much to drape a beautiful saree, but true solidarity and respect would come when one takes the trouble to learn the language spoken by the common people of Priyanka’s constituency. Only then will she be seen as a serious representative, capable of communicating directly with her constituents and not through a translator. Earlier, Rahul also did not make any effort to learn Malayalam, despite being elected as an MP from that country.

For the fragmented opposition, deprived of any common ground, Shah’s remarks in Parliament immediately functioned as a constraining factor. Their newfound affinity for social justice issues has brought them all together, at least for now.

Today, political parties of all stripes and principles, regardless of their treatment of Ambedkar in the past, swear by his ideology of wooing the vote banks – the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed. Unfortunately, apart from symbolism, which also includes wearing and adopting the color ‘blue’ associated with Ambedkar and Dalit activism, they have not done much on the ground.

For Rahul and now Priyanka, wearing and flaunting Ambedkar’s ‘Constitution’ has become something of an accessory – for soundbites and social media symbolism.

(The author is Editor-in-Chief, NDTV)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author