Rahul wears blue to Parliament amid Ambedkar remark row: Why the colour is associated with Dalit icon

Other Congress leaders were also seen in blue today protesting Amit Shah's remarks on Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha.

Congress MPs, including Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, were seen dressed in blue outfits for the Parliament session on Thursday.

The Opposition held protests at the Ambedkar statue outside the Parliament and demanded Home Minister Amit Shah's apology and resignation over his comments on B R Ambedkar.

So what is the connection between the colour blue and Babasaheb Ambedkar, and why has Rahul Gandhi, who is usually seen in a white t-shirt, donned the blue colour?

The colour blue is significant in depicting Ambedkar across India. The leader, who carved out the Constitution of free India, laying down the framework assuring its citizens of justice, equality, and liberty, and endeavours to promote fraternity among them, has been depicted in blue in all statues installed across the country.

"Blue was his favourite colour and he mostly used it in his personal life too," Lalji Nirmal of Ambedkar Mahasabha said.

Retired IPS officer and leading Dalit activist SR Darapuri said that besides being his favourite colour, blue was also the colour of the flag of the party floated by the Ambedkar Scheduled Castes Federation of India in 1942.

"The flag was blue in colour and had an Ashok Chakra in the centre...later in 1956 when the Republican Party of India was set up after dissolving the earlier party, it was also given the same blue flag," Darapuri pointed out.

"Blue, in another shade, is also the colour of the sky, which shows vastness and that was the vision of Baba Saheb," he said. The same has been adopted by the BSP as its colour and has since come to be associated with Dalit emancipation, he stressed.

With the brouhaha over Bhimrao, both Gandhi siblings -- Rahul and Priyanka -- led the Congress MPs in their protests, sporting blue.

Priyanka has over the past couple of days brought protest fashion to the Indian Parliament.

On Monday, Priyanka Gandhi was seen carrying a bag emblazoned with 'Palestine' to Parliament. The next day, she came to Parliament with a bag that had 'Bangladesh' emblazoned on it.

As noted earlier, Rahul Gandhi usually dresses in white, which he says represents "transparency, solidity and simplicity".

(With PTI inputs)