Subramanian Swamy urges BJP MPs to shun western clothing, adopt Indian wear for 'party discipline'

Subramanian Swamy cannot keep himself out of the news. Whether taking potshots at the Narendra Modi government on Twitter or digging up cases of corruption against the Congress, Swamy is known to grab the headlines. This time around the eminent economist has launched the attack over western clothes worn by the country’s ministers, calling on the BJP to let go of the foreign vestige. In another tweet, Swamy also demanded a ban on alcohol, urging the BJP to consider his suggestions for the sake of party discipline.

Swamy’s aversion to “western-imposed slavishness” may not find many takers even in his own party, which he joined only in 2013. [caption id=“attachment_4276015” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Subramanian Swamy. Reuters[/caption] Not just our mantris but the “pradhan sevak” Narendra Modi himself has worn safari suits, especially in Gujarat. Among the young turks, MoS Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju has often been spotted wearing western formals in the Parliament. Just five days ago, Olympian and Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore wore western formals to an event at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Even Hindutva torchbearers such as Union minister Anantkumar Hegde, who once called the Church a commercially-operated platform is often seen wearing simple western formals.

Swamy’s latest statement comes as a surpise as it comes from a man who was associated with Harvard University for over three decades, where he completed his PhD in index theory and also went on to teach summer courses at the institution. But this is not the first time Swamy has made such statements. In 2015, he opposed legalisation of homosexuality and tweeted:

In the same year, Swamy had backed Union minister Mahesh Sharma over his statement that girls wanting a night out is unacceptable in India. Talking to ANI , Swamy, once a fierce critic of “Fascist Hindutva” forces, said: “What Mahesh Sharma is saying correctly is that there is a difference between modernisation and westernisation. This whole idea of night out for women is against the culture, but even for men it is against our culture.” “Our culture says you should wake up at 4 am in the morning. If you are going to have a night out, how can you wake up at 4 am?” he futher told ANI. Given Swamy’s reputation of being a motormouth, we can expect some more of this “sanskari gyaan” from him.