Bhubaneswar: A reel of Odisha Chief Minister (CM) Naveen Patnaik in a dark-coloured lungi holding conch symbols representing his Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has sparked a lungi’-versus-dhoti’ row in the state.
While Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders said it was the dhoti that was part of Odia culture and the lungi wasn’t, the BJD said Sambalpuri weavers wear lungis and Patnaik wearing it would promote their handloom and fabrics.
Patnaik uploaded the reel to seek support for his party ahead of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Odisha between May and June. Holding two conches for the two elections, he said in the reel, “This time, joda shankh (double conch)—one for MLA and one for MP. Give your blessings.”
On Tuesday, Union Minister of State Dharmendra Pradhan took a jibe at Patnaik, calling the reel ‘odd’ in a speech at a public gathering in Laikera, which comes under the Bargarh constituency.
“There is a gumasta (agent), making the CM do such odd things. He is an old man, respectable to all of us. At least he should have been made to dress properly. Should this happen?” he asked.
“A handful of people are ruling Odisha. Control of Odisha is no longer in your hands. The CM is in (the) video. His remote lies in the hands of non-Odia agents. It’s a question of (the) Odia identity. The people of Odisha will give a decisive verdict against such a government,” Pradhan added.
Speaking to ThePrint, BJP Odisha spokesperson Anil Biswal said,“The tradition in Odisha is to wear the dhoti. Biju Babu also used to wear the dhoti, as do Jagannath temple priests. The lungi is worn by Muslims in Bengal, and people in the south — which is fine but it is not right to bring the lungi into controversy,”
In a counter to Pradhan’s comments, two BJD spokespersons, Sasmit Patra and Swayam Prakash Mohapatra, Wednesday addressed a press conference wearing lungis.
“Chief Minister @Naveen_Odisha wearing a Sambalpuri lungi made a conch video. Then, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan criticised it and insulted lakhs of weavers and lakhs of Odia people who wear lungis. We held a press conference on behalf of @bjd_odisha to protest against the insult to identity, culture, and tradition by Pradhan and demanded an apology,” Swayam Prakash later posted on X.
“The Biju Janata Dal will never tolerate such humiliation of Sambalpuri lungi. The party has always stood with the people of Sambalpur as with the lakhs of people of Odisha — the 4.5 crore people of Odisha,” he further said in his X post.
The BJP, however, reiterated that the lungi was not Odia culture, and the CM was imposing “outside” culture on Odia people.
“The BJD is not ready to contest the election on the plank of development and good governance. Naveen Babu is trying to dominate Odia people, using some outsiders. This is a conspiracy created by the BJD. If they had worn dhotis, we would have been happy,” Biswal told ThePrint.
The video made by the BJD spokespersons is attracting huge traffic on social media, while the BJP leaders are also taking potshots while sharing the photos on social media platforms.
Former BJP state president Samir Mohanty shared three images of Pradhan, clad in dhoti and kurta, in an X post, saying, “In Odisha’s Shree Jagannath culture, we wear ‘dhoti’ and not ‘lungi’. ‘Dhoti’ is the symbol of Odia pride, identity and culture.”
A lungi is a stitched garment, which can be worn easily, and usually comes in several patterns and colours, while a dhoti, which comes in white or solid colours, has to be tied around the waist and the legs in a particular style.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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