Bald is beautiful and dhoti is fashionable in the saffron brigade

The photo gallery of BJP presidents bears the proof. Kushabhau Thakre, M Venkaiah Naidu, LK Advani and and now, president designate Rajnath Singh — all of them are bald.

Plus, all three are dhoti-clad. Of course, Venkaiah’s dhoti looks more like south Indian ‘lungi’, but then the two are essentially the same.

Dhoti did the trick, even when one is not bald. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Murli Manohar Joshi and — both former BJP presidents — will tell you so.

Remember Bangaru Laxman? The BJP president who was disgraced by the Tehelka expose and was unceremoniously removed from the post.

Bangaru, too, is in city for the party conclave, but is moving like a loner. He is, indeed, an exception in that photo gallery, at least in the recent times. Clad in pyjama, and with jet black hair on his head, he looks different.

The two prominent aspirants for the top post, as and when there would be a vacancy, are Arun Jaitley and Pramod Mahajan. Jaitley’s advantage of being bald was kind of nullified by Mahajan wearing a dhoti — more correctly a south Indian lungi — at the National Council meeting on Thursday.

Mahajan’s lungi was first noticed at the Chennai national executive three months ago. The third contender, Sushma Swaraj, always dressed traditionally.

For the moment, bald and dhoti-clad Rajnath is the centre of all attraction. “Rajnathji bol rahe hai. Let’s all go and listen to him,” BJP vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu told a small group of journalists and media persons he was chatting with in the afternoon, and hurried inside the pandal.

Another party heavyweight and vice-president Bal Apte, too, made a dash to hear Rajnath’s address. Other leaders and media persons followed suit.

The crown prince (read president designate) of BJP finally spoke on Thursday afternoon — he had not uttered a word from the dais or from the audience for the past three days. “Now you know the virtues of baldness and dhoti,” said a party leader, clapping at Rajnath’s speech.