A youth icon for the ruling DMK, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, a public servant, has drawn the attention of the High Court for sporting jeans and T-shirts featuring the party’s election symbol of the ‘rising sun’ at official events.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Madras High Court has rekindled the debate on the appropriateness of dress code for our netas. A Division Bench of Madras High Court, comprising Justices D Krishnakumar and PB Balaji, directed the Advocate General and the petitioner on Monday (Oct. 29) to submit the rules, if any, governing the dress code for ministers within a week. The court wanted to ascertain the facts in the matter as to whether there are specific rules and regulations prescribing a particular dress code.

The petitioner, M Sathya Kumar, a practising advocate, expressed his annoyance at Udhayanidhi wearing casual attire — jeans and a T-shirt featuring the DMK’s election symbol — at official engagements. He prayed for a direction to Udhayanidhi to follow the Government Order (GO) dated June 1, 2019, which stipulates a dress code for government servants.

Identifying himself as the grandson of Sundarrama Reddiar, a farmers’ union leader and close associate of the late Dravidian patriarch and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, the petitioner submitted that the DMK, very conscious about protecting Tamil culture and identity, was particular about the dress code of the cadre. The traditional dhoti and shirt were adopted as the dress code by DMK founder and former Chief Minister CN Annadurai and Karunanidhi. This is being followed by Chief Minister MK Stalin as well.

Advocate General PS Raman submitted that the Deputy CM wears jeans and T-shirts as he finds them comfortable. Stating that this is not inappropriate, he pointed out that even CEOs of many corporate companies wear T-shirts at their office and during public engagements. The GO, he said, was issued for government servants and not for ministers, who are public servants. Furthermore, he argued that the GO had only directed them to avoid and not prohibit casual attire.

While the traditional dhoti and shirt with a long towel continue to identify a neta in Tamil Nadu, the colours of the dhoti’s borders signify his political affiliation. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mahabalipuram, sporting a dhoti and a sleeveless shirt with an ‘angavastram’ (a long towel draped around the neck).

However, the dress code for politicians has been undergoing a change in the Dravidian heartland. Udhayanidhi was seen sporting jeans and a white shirt embossed with the party’s symbol while meeting the Prime Minister in the national capital. The first to break this dhoti culture were Dalit leaders, such as Thol Thirumavalavan, MP, president of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and Dr Krishnasamy, president of Puthiya Thamilagam, who opted for pants and shirts along with branded shoes. Now, a few DMK legislators and ministers, including Health Minister Ma Subramanian, have also adopted pants and shirts.