Kerala MP M. Ramachandran raises dhoti issue

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu Cricket Association club’s decision to disallow a high court judge from entering the premises because he wore a dhoti found its echo in the Lok Sabha on Friday when a Congress MP from Kerala demanded doing away with this “ridiculous and colonial practices”.

Mr M. Ramachandran, a former Union minister, raised the issue in the House, saying the “incident has touched the conscience of every patriotic Indian as it smacks of idiosyncrasies of the British raj.”

“This incident also reminds us of the discrimination meted out to the father of the nation in South Africa where he had undergone tribulations because he had worn a turban,” Mr Ramachandran said.

Madras high court judge, Justice D. Hariparanthaman was denied entry into the TNCA club last week for wearing dhoti when he went to attend a book release function at the club.

He was told that he could not enter the premises wearing dhoti as they had instructions from the office-bearers not to allow anyone on the premises who violated the club’s dress code.

The Congress MP wanted to know whether we are still living in a colonial era and apartheid was still being practised in the country.

“We are a sovereign, democratic country and we suffered a lot to attain Independence. This shameful incident is a slur on the very image of this country. I would urge the government to take necessary steps so that such ridiculous and colonial practices are done away with,” he said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had also condemned the incident and announced that her government will enact a law to end a ban on dhoti in private clubs. The law is likely to be passed in the current session of assembly.