Saturday, 22 October 2022 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a knack for making what may be viewed as political statements even with his attire and this ability was on full display during his visit to Kedarnath shrine on Friday. In Kedarnath, the PM was seen wearing a special dress which is popular in the neighbouring Himachal Pradesh (HP) and its adjoining Jaunsar area of Uttarakhand. With his attire worn in Kedarnath, PM Modi tried to get connected with the people of the poll bound state of HP.
The dress which is a robe made of the wool is called Chola Dora in HP and Jaunsar. Modi was wearing white Chola Dora with a traditional cap worn both in Jaunsar and Himachal Pradesh. The dress had a Swastika and peacock embroidered on it. The choice of attire of the PM is being linked with the coming assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh. It is learnt that the Chola Dora, the PM was wearing was gifted to him by a woman of Chamba district of HP. This hand woven dress was gifted to Modi during his Chamba tour. It is said that the PM had promised the woman that he would wear the dress whenever he would visit any cold place. Modi fulfilled his promise by wearing it while offering prayers at the sanctum sanctorum of Kedarnath shrine on Friday.
It is pertinent to mention here that the voting for the 68 member Himachal Pradesh assembly would be held on November 12. In the last assembly elections held in the year 2017, the BJP won 43 seats while the Congress party secured victory in only 22 seats. The contest in HP is traditionally bipolar between BJP and Congress with power changing hands between the two parties. In this year’s election the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is trying hard to make the contest triangular. In HP the BJP is hoping to negate history and anti incumbency by riding on the popularity of PM Modi.
