Colors of Himachali cap was symbol of political alignment for good two decades. Congress loyalists especially followers of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh were fond of Green Bushehari Cap, while BJP, particularly Prem Kumar Dhumal, who was CM of the state in 1998 and 2007, lobby used to be identified with saffron color.
But now it seems that politics of Himachali Cap has numbers of days left. Chief Minister Jairam Thakur said that time has come to bid farewell to cap politics in the state.
Thakur, while addressing at Circuit House in Solan today, said that in Himachal, political loyalties were denoted by the colour of caps and now time has come to dispense with cap politics.
The Chief Minister said he won’t indulge in cap politics adding that he had stop wearing the cap thereby putting an end to cap politics. The CM said
“I prefer the caps as inseparable part of culture of Himachal Pradesh and not as a symbol of regional divide of upper and lower Himachal as was considered during the congress regime”
Shimla Rural Congress legislature Vikramaditya Singh has also voiced to end the ‘Cap Politics‘in Himachal Pradesh. Expressing his views on Social media, son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, said that “Division of people on lines of colour is against our ethos and we should unitedly fight against all such forces which try to divide us on lines of Caste, Colour, Creed, Religion & Region.”
The Cap Politics is said to be started with veteran Congress leader Virbhadra Singh, who don a Green Himachali Cap. His supporters too prefer to wear this colour of cap to express their political solidarity with him. Likewise, BJP leader and two-time Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has made the maroon flap his trademark. However, leadership has shifted to younger leaders and with them it seem that ‘cap politics’ of the state may slip into the past.
