A discussion on drought in the Legislative Council took an unexpected turn on Wednesday as a green shawl triggered a war of words. BJP MLC Naveen Kottige wore the shawl while speaking, leading Congress MLC S Ravi to claim the gesture was just a show to get publicity on YouTube.
BENGALURU: A discussion on drought in the Legislative Council took an unexpected turn on Wednesday, with "shawl politics" taking centre stage after a green shawl worn by an MLC triggered a war of words between the ruling party and opposition. The exchange soon moved to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's shawl and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's coat.
The exchange began after BJP MLC Naveen Kottige threw on a green shawl as he rose to speak on drought and farmers' issues. Congress MLC S Ravi remarked that Naveen had put on the shawl only when his name was called to speak, and said it would have got more "respect" had he worn it earlier. He suggested that the gesture appeared to be a show and that green shawls, farmers and the soil should be "in the heart".
Naveen hit back, saying Ravi should instead look at the shawl worn by CM Shivakumar during the drought. He said the session had been convened to discuss problems faced by farmers. Ravi said the issue appeared to be aimed at getting publicity on YouTube and scoring brownie points. He said CM had his own style of dressing and clarified that he was questioning Naveen's "showoff attitude" and not his capability.