Opinion Much ado over Mallikarjun Kharge and a Louis Vuitton scarf

The heckling of Congress president for his sartorial choice is diversionary and in bad taste

There is a point to the silliness of the tirade against Kharge — to divert attention from the demand for a JPC probe into the Adani-Hindenburg issue, with din, mindless chatter, inane humour and social media memes questioning the Congress’s moral right to represent the masses. (PTI)

February 9, 2023 10:38 PM IST First published on: Feb 9, 2023 at 06:56 PM IST

India either really has collective amnesia, or just pretends to have it. Which is why the heckling of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Rajya Sabha for wearing an expensive Louis Vuitton scarf not only comes across as facile but betrays a wilful ignorance of comparative contexts. Why does the ruling BJP forget that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who may be wearing a vest made of recycled bottles today, has earlier worn a bespoke pinstripe suit with his name woven into the fabric? Why can’t a Dalit leader also make a fashion statement while beating a seasonal cold?

Maybe it is just the buttonhole-the-Opposition syndrome. This seems to be a battle of perceptions, based largely on optics, that the Opposition is far from winning: Be it the Congress or the Trinamool Congress’s Mohua Moitra, who created quite a stir by carrying an LV bag during a discussion on price rise.

Also Read | Kharge’s scarf, Moitra’s bag, and political attire as statement

There is a point to the silliness of the tirade against Kharge — to divert attention from the demand for a JPC probe into the Adani-Hindenburg issue, with din, mindless chatter, inane humour and social media memes questioning the Congress’s moral right to represent the masses. Perhaps the plan is that by the time the troll army gets done with making a ruckus about Kharge’s scarf, the little effort that the Opposition makes as a united entity in forcing a national agenda would have got reduced to a footnote.

As a Congress leader, Kharge has earned the right to sport a Louis Vuitton scarf. After all it was his party that brought in liberalisation, which in turn brought the globe to us and built aspirations. In fact, when Louis Vuitton entered India, with accessories and scarves, the company spokesperson was very clear that it was targeting the aspiring working class professional, who could make a brand statement with the smallest of items. Last heard, many upwardly mobile professionals had saved up enough to buy an LV bag, purse or a scarf, making these items more seen than talked about. With knockoffs blurring the divide, owning an LV scarf is not a big deal anymore. In the power capital of Delhi, in particular, you can find many wrapping one around their neck to stay warm in winter.

Why can’t Kharge, who has worked his way up from grass roots politics in Karnataka, wear the scarf if he can afford it? Winning elections consistently, enjoying the faith of the people and without being dogged by any major controversy, he has been known to plough back resources to his constituents. Has anybody wondered why Kharge’s sartorial choices were never commented upon till the day he adorned a branded scarf? Always seen in desi wear, nobody ever extolled the virtues of him wearing the fabric of the people. Does that mean that the man, who has remained true to his labour leader origins, is not qualified to wear anything else? There seems to be a casteist and classist bias when it comes to Dalit assertion and ascension. Perhaps the privileged, while professing equality, are uncomfortable about new realities.

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Maybe Kharge became the target of the day because he represents all that is devalued in politics these days. He is an avowed secularist, having lost his family to communal riots. He is a rare political survivor, who has lost only one of the 12 elections he has contested, and is a dogged contender in the electoral sweepstakes. As a polyglot and a patron of arts, Kharge has a more liberal and accommodative spirit than many of his ilk can claim to have.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonwalla tweeted, “Taste apna apna, message apna apna. PM Narendra Modi sends a ‘green message’ with his sustainable fashion — blue jacket; enlisting Jan Bhagidari for the cause of sustainable growth and environment. Meanwhile, Kharge ji sports an expensive LV scarf.” But, in a true democracy, shouldn’t it also be about “andaaz apna apna”?

Rinku.ghosh@expressindia.com