Politicians shed khadi, opt for imported fabrics

A well-known politician from Maharashtra wore his khadi well. As he rose in stature, his tailor suggested he needed an image makeover. Overnight he switched from khadi to an imported fabric. The supple lines of this fabric matched the politician’s new power profile. The crumpled khadi dhoti-kurta was now only for electioneering. For all other occasions, he would wear clothes made only of the Italian fabric.

In the tribe of such converts are names like Bal Thackeray, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Gopinath Munde, Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane.

Says Madhav Agasti, proprietor of Madhav Men’s Mode, whose clients include all of the above, “Most politicians who visit my shop want Italian fabrics. Of course, not many of them will come on record and proclaim that they are wearing clothes made of such fabrics.”

Says Shaina NC, fashion designer and secretary of the Mumbai unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, “More politicians are now going in for an international look and are donning clothes made of imported fabrics. The explosion of TV coverage puts politicians under the public glare. They are image conscious and do not want to be seen in crumpled clothes. That’s why they prefer Italian fabrics which have a good fall.”

Says Anant Gadgil, spokesperson, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, and son of former Union minister for information and broadcasting, the late Vittalrao Gadgil, “Both my grandfather and father wore khadi. However, I do not wear it. Though it gives a very distinctive look, khadi is difficult to maintain.” Gadgil says people’s attitudes towards politicians have changed. “People want to see politicians better dressed these days.”

A Congress minister, on the condition of anonymity, says, “Why talk about other Congress workers. Have you seen Rahul Gandhi wear khadi? The younger crop is deciding the dress code for the older politicians.”

The fabrics do not come cheap. “They are 10 times the price of khadi,” says Agasti. “But does cost really figure in a politician’s list of concerns these days?” says a local CPI worker on the condition of anonymity.

But still there are some who are hopeful that khadi will stay on. Gurunath Kulkarni, general secretary, Nationalist Congress Party, says, “Television needs colour, so politicians are opting for the Italian fabrics that look good. But khadi cannot fade away. Many politicians still continue to wear it. Besides, look at the youngsters; with them,khadi is a hit.”