Have politicians taken a shine to linen over khadi?

For decades, thanks to Mahatma Gandhi’s movement, the white khadi has been the trademark of netas across the country. But it seems more politicians have taken a liking to linen because of its soft feel and rich look. DNA finds out whether khadi will still be in demand in years to come or will lose out to the other fabric?

Younger politicians are going for khadi kurtas while seniors prefer linen
It is true that linen cloth has nowadays become popular among politicians, but khadi is still preferred and revered by politicians. Combined sales of linen and silk at our store are 30%, whereas 70% of our sales are of khadi. In fact, the younger generation of politicians are going for khadi kurtas while the seniors prefer for linen. Khadi has not at all lost its relevance among our politicians. Even today, they are the major chunk of our customers.
Nowadays, khadi comes in two forms, one woven on charkha and the other made by looms. Khadi also comes in super white, which has the same rich look like linen. I would rather say that khadi is worn more as a fashion statement than linen. Those who do not like the dullish look of charkha woven khadi can go for the woven khadi, which comes in various designs.
—Pankaj Sarda, proprietor, Maheshwari Khadi Bhandar

Today’s political leaders don’t even know why they should wear khadi
There is a basic contradiction between Mahatma Gandhi’s principles propagated through khadi and what these political leaders do today. Khadi stands for purity and clarity. It symbolises that as a political worker how you serve the people and nation. The one who wears khadi and also misuses his/her political powers will always carry a guilty feeling. By wearing linen, you can hide that guilt and at the same time it has a richer look.  
Today’s youth should be aware that Gandhi and his principles have many aspects. Gandhi started the khadi movement to encourage handspun cloth and boycott foreign goods to remove unemployment and make the nation self-reliant. Khadi became an ideology and symbol of self-respect. However, today’s political leaders do not even know why they should wear khadi. It has just become a fashion statement.
—Kumar Saptrishi, Gandhian

Khadi played a significant role during our struggle for independence
As the country is developing and experiencing economic growth, it is also changing in terms of social preferences like what we wear and our overall lifestyle. The attraction and fascination of today’s politicians towards linen is part of this change that the country is witnessing. Linen is preferred over khadi because it looks good, is fashionable and in vogue. Khadi has its own relevance for every Indian and it has a prominent place in history as it played a significant role during our struggle for independence. It is a symbol of purity and will always be so for generations to come. It is not that linen has replaced khadi; the hand-woven cloth is still very much in demand especially among the younger generation of politicians. The khadi fabric is now available in different colours, texture and quality. Khadi will not go out of fashion, it has its own special importance.
—Narendra Bansode, vice-president, Pimpri Assembly, Youth Congress

Linen is very breathable and comes in multiple weaves
We get a lot of orders for linen and khadi kurtas and jackets from young politicians, and over 70% are for linen and 30% prefer khadi. Linen definitely has a much richer look and comes in multiples weaves. Apart from being a superior fabric, linen is very breathable and also gets starched easily.
Though linen clothes get crumpled easily, it has more grace compared to khadi. Linen is in vogue especially among the politicians, because they have to be in kurta all through the day. Design, quality and comfortability wise, the linen fabric makes more sense. The politicians mostly end up wearing white khadi, which has only 4 to 5 different weaves. Linen has more option of weaves.  
—Nivedita Saboo, fashion designer

Once you get used to wearing linen, you get addicted to that fabric
The sale of linen has gone up and it is more in demand than before. I would say that today people have become more linen-conscious. Linen is a more costly fabric available between Rs400 and Rs2,000 per metre. I really don’t know why linen is more preferred over khadi by politicians. Probably due to its rich look. Linen mixed fabric yarns are spun mostly in Rishra near Kolkata. The fabric is known for its rich look and comfort. Once you get used to wearing linen, you get addicted to that fabric. The only problem why linen is not very popular is because it is very difficult to maintain and gets easily crumpled. Many linen suits are available in the market and it has become a fashion statement to be worn at parties. However, you will never see corporates wearing linen suits.   
—Zalamchand Jain, linen distributor

Factbox
Spinning the charkha
Khadi is a hand-spun fabric made from cotton, silk or wool. Linen, on the other hand, is made from the fibres of flax plant, which are imported from France and China, and prepared on modern looms Khadi is not just a cloth, it is a whole movement started by Mahatma Gandhi. The movement aimed at boycotting foreign goods and promoting Indian goods. Gandhi began promoting the spinning of khadi for rural self-employment and self-reliance (instead of using cloth manufactured industrially in Britain) in 1920s India thus making khadi an integral part and icon of the Swadeshi movement Linen is labour-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather. Linen is three times more expensive than khadi.