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Journalism of Courage
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Central government as he reiterated the Opposition’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani-Hindenburg issue. Subsequently, Kharge found himself under attack from the ruling party over the scarf that he was wearing.
“The Prime Minister had said na khaunga, na khaane doonga (I will not be corrupt or let others be),” Kharge told the Rajya Sabha. “But every day, a handful of industrialists in the country get richer. A close friend of Modiji’s in the past two-and-a-half years has seen wealth increase by 14 times. In 2014, he was worth Rs 50,000 crore. Today he is worth Rs 1 lakh crore. How did such a fast rise in wealth happen? Was it by magic?”
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal hit back saying that Kharge’s allegations were unsubstantiated and were for “the share market to see”. He added, “The Leader of the Opposition keeps demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee. Joint committees are meant to look into accusations that have been proved, or matters and scams pertaining to the government … Khargeji is wearing a Louis Vuitton scarf today, should we set up a joint committee to look into this as well? Where did he get the scarf, who gave it to him, and how much did it cost? Then a joint committee should look into that as well.”
The conversation continued online as ruling party leaders kept up the attack on Kharge. In a tweet, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonwala drew a comparison between the scarf and a blue jacket Prime Minister Narendra Modi sported in the house. Government officials said the jacket was made of material recycled from plastic bottles and was presented to Modi by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) during the India Energy Week in Bengaluru on Monday.
“PM @narendramodi sports a blue jacket made from recycled bottles sending a green message of fighting climate change. Kharge ji wears expensive LV scarf and talks about poverty! Burberry-LV poverty experts!”
Earlier in the day, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted, “My heartfelt gratitude to PM Shri @narendramodi Ji for wearing the jacket made from fabric using recycled PET bottles! Truly exemplifies his leadership for #LiFE Movement – India led global mass movement to nudge individual & community action to protect & preserve environment.”
Priti Gandhi, who identifies herself as a BJP worker, tweeted: “The jacket that Pradhansevak @narendramodi ji is wearing today is made of recycled material from plastic bottles, and the scarf that @kharge ji is wearing is ₹ 40000!!”
The Congress did not immediately react to the BJP’s comments about Kharge’s scarf.
This is not the first time Louis Vuitton has found a mention in Parliament. Last year, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra faced criticism for allegedly trying to “hide” her Louis Vuitton bag during a Lok Sabha discussion on price rise. At the time, Poonawalla shared a 12-second video in which the TMC MP could be seen picking her handbag from her side and placing it on the floor under a desk while TMC’s Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar spoke on price rise.
Trolled online because of the video, Moitra responded by sharing a collage of her pictures holding bags and tweeting, “Jholewala fakir in Parliament since 2019. Jhola leke aye the… jhola leke chal padenge … (Came with a bag, will leave with it).” The tweet was a jibe at a remark Modi made during a rally in 2016.
