SHILLONG:
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kirti Azad was criticized on Thursday following his tweet mocking the Jymphong — a traditional Khasi male attire — which was worn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Shillong.
Calling the statement “distasteful” and “lame”, recent National People’s Party (NPP) inductee Ampareen Lyngdoh demanded an apology, adding that the state TMC should clarify why such a statement was made especially at a time when the Mamata Banerjee-led party was making its debut in the state.
“We are proud of the Jymphong and every Khasi male should appreciate it,” Lyngdoh said, responding to Azad’s tweet where he used the picture from a website to call the attire a fashion statement which was neither male nor female (as per translation from Hindi).
Meghalaya Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Ernest Mawrie also condemned the TMC stating that when Modi adorned the attire during his visit to the state on December 18, it was a respect to the Khasi tradition.
“The comments are not acceptable by our party… This fellow insulted our traditional Khasi dress,” Mawrie said, further stating that citizens of Meghalaya should refrain from voting for the party in the upcoming state elections.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma also demanded an apology from the TMC calling the incident an “unfortunate” one which was an insult to the people of the state and their culture.
Meghalaya TMC unit did not respond to a request for comment.