The last time there was an uproar over handbags in Congress, it was over luxury Louis Vuitton.
It belonged to Mahua Moitra, the stylish Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal. Not one to hide her light under a bushel, Moitra’s Louis Vuitton bag attracted the attention of critics when she hid it under a table during a debate on price increases in Parliament.
A video of her hiding her bag from cameras in parliament went viral. Many people criticized Moitra on social media, with the BJP nicknamed her “Marie Antoonette Moitra” and ridiculed her “hypocrisy”. Shortly after, social media users slammed her for arriving at Parliament without her “infamous” Louis Vuitton bag, which supposedly had a price tag of Rs 200,000. Instead, she was seen entering parliament carrying a small bag.
But Moitra was quick to hit back at the person on social media, saying: “Hey, it’s a Louis Vuitton pochette too.”
She was not one to flinch when she was accused of bringing expensive gifts to ask questions in Parliament, arriving at a committee hearing carrying three large handbags.
Also, rwatch: LIVE | Priyanka’s ‘Palestinian bag’ causes storm in Congress | Capital Beat
political fashionista
Two years later, Congress is welcoming a different kind of renegade fashionista. This congressman shouldn’t be caught carrying Dior or Furla.
Instead, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is making her parliamentary debut, is flaunting a ‘Modani’ (Adani Modi Bye Bye) bag one week and a tote bag with the Palestinian emblem colorfully emblazoned on it the next. You can see him holding it and posing gently.
It’s meant to turn heads, make people stare, and even make them say, “How cute!” Just as her brother Rahul Gandhi, MP, did last week after seeing the tote bag she carried to Parliament.
One side of the bag featured cartoon figures of Adani and Modi tied up tightly, while the other side had the words ‘Modi Adani Bye Bye’ written on it. Congress and some other opposition parties have called for an investigation into the Japanese Communist Party after Mr. Adani and other company officials were indicted in U.S. courts.
Priyanka walked around proudly displaying her bag even as she complained to reporters that she couldn’t see the actual Parliament as the government was at a standstill for some reason and no work was progressing. .
Also read: Priyanka’s speech: Punchy yet concise, with shades of Indira
stand by Palestine
If last week Priyanka carried a tote bag that mocked Modi and Adani’s close relationship, on Monday (December 16) Priyanka sported an eye-catching and creatively designed bag with ‘Palestine’ written all over it. When he appeared with the , his tongue was moving.
This striking accessory featured emblems symbolizing solidarity with the Palestinian people, including the watermelon, a motif of resistance that has long been recognized in the region. Priyanka is a champion of the Palestinian cause and has often voiced her concerns over the Gaza conflict.
Interestingly, she also wore a black and white keffiyeh (traditional Palestinian scarf) around her neck, as she did during a recent meeting with Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer, Chargé d’Affaires at the Palestinian Embassy. .
In her view, India has always advocated for “justice” on the international stage, fought against sanctions against South Africa’s apartheid regime, and supported our brothers and sisters in Palestine from the beginning of their long struggle for freedom. “And now a genocide is happening to wipe them off the face of the earth and we stand back and do nothing?” she asked in the X post.
Bharatiya Janata Party condemns ‘bag’ protests
But the Bharatiya Janata Party ridiculed her efforts to register a protest and use designer bags to send a political message.
Patra had to say at a press conference, “The Gandhi family has always had a bag of appeasement strategies.The bag of appeasement strategies is the reason behind their defeat in elections.”
But like Moitra before her, Priyanka also seems all set to shake up stalwart MPs with a bagful of protests.
