The prime minister continued his tradition of wearing a headgear — this time, he chose a Uttarakhand cap — and draped a Manipuri stole around his neck
Naredra Modi at the National War Memorial ahead of the Republic Day parade. ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always been known to be stylish and his choice of attire has often been in the news.
On the occasion of Republic Day, the prime minister chose to wear a headgear — a tradition he started since he took office in 2014 and has continued for all Republic Day and Independence Day events.
What is interesting is that Narendra Modi used his clothes to send out nuanced messaging.
Here’s what we deciphered of it.
Modi’s R-Day attire
Narendra Modi wore a cap from Uttarakhand, perhaps, in a nod to the Assembly elections in the state — scheduled for 14 February.
Narendra Modi’s cap also featured a ‘Brahmakamal’, which is interestingly the state flower of the hill state.
In addition to his headgear, Narendra Modi also draped a stole around his neck. The stole comes from Manipur. The white, black and red woven cloth is a leitmotif of the Meitei tribe in Manipur.
Once again, his choice to wear this stole could be seen as an attempt to cosy himself to voters in the eastern state. The voting for the 60 Assembly seats in the northeastern state will be held in two phases — 27 February and 3 March.
Past sartorial choices
File image of Prime Minister Modi wearing a red headgear with yellow dots, gifted to him by the royal family of Jamnagar, Gujarat for 2021’s Republic Day. PTI
In 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wore a saffron headgear with red patterns and a long tail for the 75th Independence Day celebrations at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi.
The prime minister had continued his annual tradition of sporting special traditional turbans during Republic Day celebrations, with a red headgear with yellow dots, gifted to him by the royal family of Jamnagar, Gujarat.
Modi’s sartorial choices have made headlines on many occasions — from his headgears for Independence Day celebrations to the suit printed with his name — he surely knows how to stand out.
In 2018, an RTI had been filed to determine how much does the clothes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi cost. The RTI query revealed that Narendra Modi spends on his own clothing.
In response to the RTI query, PMO said that the query is personal in nature and that the information does not form part of the official records of PMO.
The PMO office also mentioned that it may be noted, that expenditure on personal attire of prime minister is not borne on government account.
Paying homage at the War Memorial