RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat sported an olive green quilted jacket at an event Monday — similar to the ones Congress president Rahul Gandhi sports.
New Delhi: At an event Monday commemorating writer and journalist Prof. Devendra Swaroop, who died on 14 January, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was seen sporting an olive green quilted jacket.
Yes, the same kind of jacket that has been popularised in political circles by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, and which has become a fashion trend among Congress leaders from Rajasthan deputy CM Sachin Pilot to Lok Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda.
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A game of jackets
When Narendra Modi came to power with his own sartorial style, the classic ‘Nehru jacket’ that was synonymous with the Congress suddenly morphed into the ‘Modi vest’ that he prefers.
Last year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in tweeted a picture wearing a ‘Modi vest’ gifted to him by India’s Prime Minister, drawing many comments from social media users on its origins as late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s chosen accessory.
Nehru’s great-grandson Gandhi, meanwhile, distanced himself from the vest, eventually arriving at the quilted or ‘bomber’ jacket as his trademark.
To be sure, quilted jackets have been a popular choice among Delhiites long before politicians began wearing them. However, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said the choice of jacket was crucial to the kind of image Gandhi was seeking to project.
The texture combines class, comfort and modernity, which is “a perfect blend reflecting youth energy, casualness and politics. For Congress leaders, it’s a statement that we are one among many, we are from the youth and we are with the youth”, Shergill had said.
“Rahul Gandhi has changed the definition of dress code for a politician. You don’t have to dress strictly traditional — you can be an easy-going politician with focus on important issues.”
RSS response
Asked about the jacket coincidence, a member of the RSS called linking Gandhi’s and Bhagwat’s jackets “absurd”.
There were more pressing matters at hand, he said, than Bhagwat’s choice of jacket.
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