New Delhi: BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj made a ‘statement piece’ today at the One Nation, One Election JPC: a ‘No Hijab’ pin. The media took note of a bag that she carried; on it was a very much hashtagged label reading “Loot of National Herald”. This has evoked comparisons to Congress scion Priyanka Gandhi’s past choice of bags, which made headlines for their political messages.
Swaraj, who has been critical about Congress as the investigations into the party continue, reasoned out her choice of bag, saying that it represented ‘corruption in media, the fourth pillar of democracy’. Referring to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) pressing charges against Congress, she said, “These allegations against Congress have unveiled the true and time-bound form of the Congress party’s attempts to misuse public institutions for its political advantages.
Swaraj said that with the ED charge sheet, the Congress party had been exposed to its old ways and ideologies. “In the name of service, they turned public institutions into vehicles for private enrichment. Such individuals could buy public property worth ₹2,000 crore for merely ₹50 lakh through Young India (of which the Gandhi family owns 76%).
Moving ahead, Swaraj also accused Congress of misusing political funding by adding that loans had been allegedly granted in “an improper manner” and “huge assets belonging to the public sent out illegally”. He added that the charges detailed in the charge sheet were as serious as “arrogant theft”, and this she described as “theft with arrogance”.
Bag Row: Priyanka Gandhi
Swaraj’s remarks follow Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi hitting a similar bag controversy recently. Priyanka Gandhi had also arrived during the winter session of Parliament with a “Palestine” bag in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Conspicuous in Bearing Her Politics This behaviour soon attracted the public’s attention. The day after that, she was photographed brandishing a bag that said, “Stand with Hindus and Christians of Bangladesh,” to signal her stance against attacks on Bangladesh’s religious minority.
These two instances of MPs using the symbolic power of their accessories to convey a political message also highlight the space that symbolism occupies in Indian politics. Although Swaraj’s bag chose to knock the Congress over corruption issues, Priyanka Gandhi’s bag talked about international human rights issues.