NEW DELHI: A day of protest, scuffle and chaos is what Parliament witnessed on Thursday as the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress accused each other of “goondaism” and diversion tactics.
Amid all this, Rahul Gandhi took centre stage, as the BJP accused him of pushing its MPs and “showing arrogance.”
Even with all the drama that unfolded throughout the day, Rahul Gandhi choice of clothes and the message were not lost.
As the Congress leader started protesting against Amit Shah’s recent “anti-Ambedkar” remark in Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi joined his MPs in a blue t-shirt. In recent years, since ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, Rahul Gandhi has been seen donning a plain white polo everywhere, including Parliament.
On his 54th birthday, Rahul had also launched a ‘white t-shirt’ campaign and revealed why he always wore the same colour.
“I am often asked why I always wear a ‘white t-shirt’ – this t-shirt symbolises transparency, solidity and simplicity for me,” he had said.
On Thursday, however, Rahul switched to blue colour, considered close to Dr. BR Ambedkar and Dalit identity.
The colour blue gained political significance when Ambedkar established the Scheduled Castes Federation in 1942, adopting a blue flag featuring Ashok Chakra. This flag was later retained by the Republican Party of India, founded by Ambedkar in 1956. Over time, blue became closely associated with Dalit identity and activism.
Political parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the ASP, which champion Dalit welfare, have embraced blue in their branding, further solidifying its role in Dalit politics.
The colour was also considered to be personal favourite of Ambedkar.
“Blue was his favourite colour and he mostly used it in his personal life too,” Lalji Nirmal of Ambedkar Mahasabha had told PTI in 2018.
“Blue, in another shade, is also the colour of the sky, which shows vastness and that was the vision of Baba Saheb,” he said. The same has been adopted by the BSP as its colour and has since came to be associated with Dalit emancipation, he stressed. “The statues of Baba Saheb are always seen in a blue coat with the Constitution in one hand and the finger of the other pointing out as a symbol of moving ahead,” Dalit activist SR Darapuri had pointed out.
The is why statues of Ambedkar are always seen in a blue coat with the Constitution in hand.
Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka on Thursday donned blue as they lead the protest against Amit Shah’s remarks.
In the recent Parliament session, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also used the opportunity to raise and protest against issues using her bags.
On Monday, Priyanka was seen with a bag that had ‘Palestine’ written on it. The next day, she came to Parliament with a bag with ‘Bangladesh’ emblazoned on it.
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