"I live in a neat, clean manner," Home Minister Shivraj Patil said on Tuesday dismissing criticism over his sartorial fetish.
NEW DELHI: "I live in a neat, clean manner," Home Minister Shivraj Patil said on Tuesday dismissing criticism over his sartorial fetish.
In the midst of a torrent of criticism from political parties and media over his changing three sets of clothes on the night of Saturday's serial blasts in Delhi, Patil says "you criticise his policies, you don't criticise his clothes".
Is it his sartorial preferences or his performance that is riling the politicians?
Parties believe that it is his performance that is under attack and not his dressing while psychologists tend to sympathise with the beleaguered minister. The opposition leaders want him out of the ministry.
BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudi says the BJP "is not concerned with the serial dressing of the Home Minister or his wardrobe but would certainly like to know who is answerable for the ongoing bedlam". He can wear anything anytime.
He says the Home Minister has already made enough fun of himself and the BJP was only questioning his accountability.
Left MPs Brinda Karat and D Raja also feel the minister's dressing is not an issue but his performance is.
"I am not getting into it (dress). The Home Ministry has continuously failed on the interior security front," says Raja who wants Patil to resign.
But a strong defence of Patil came from his deputy Shakeel Ahmed, who is Minister of State for Home and also the Congress spokesperson.
"Every person has a right to be presentable. The minister should be judged by his policy initiatives, commitment to the common man and whether he is truthful to his party's beliefs," Ahmed said.
He feels an "unnecessary and useless" controversy has been raked up by the media.
On opposition demands for Patil's ouster, he said it was the prerogative of the Prime Minister.
Leading psychologist Aruna Broota says it seems that Patil is a stylish man.
"I think it is his lifestyle and lot of people who are hyper-active do such things and what difference it makes if he is wearing a coat or achkan or banyan," she says.
"What is important is that Patil may be nervous at that time and that he might be blamed and the entire Home Ministry might be blamed," feels Broota.
Another psychologist Sameer Parikh Patil says he is a person who feels the importance of self presentation. "We need to look at the final product."
Jitendra Nagpal, a leading psychiatrist, is of the opinion that it might be part of his lifestyle and probably wants to project a gentlemanly personality.
But under stressful conditions, knowingly or unknowingly there may be alterations in movements and dressing. It might also be a reflection of underlying stress.
It might be a defence mechanism to cope up with situations especially when people are under media scrutiny, feels Nagpal.
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