"Frock is not an Assamese attire and the calendar pictures were not sober at all."
Priyanka Chopra is a Bollywood actress well known for her chic sense of style. But it has landed her in trouble with members of the Congress party!
They are protesting over her appearance in the recently launched Assam Tourism Calendar, as part of being the brand ambassador. However, tongues are wagging over her choice of attire.
She wears a yellow, summer dress, which reveals a low neckline and partly shows her cleavage. While some may not regard the dress as explicitly revealing, Congress legislators have protested against the image.
They claim her “minimal” dress is “immodest” and goes against Assamese culture. Congress legislator Rupjyoti Kurmi said:
“The government should preserve the respect of the Assamese society. Frock is not an Assamese attire and the calendar pictures were not sober at all.
“The government should have known how to preserve the prestige of the Assamese society, instead they could have used the traditional mekhela sador. This is the reason we have protested against the calendar.”
@priyankachopra in Awesome Assam's new calendar 2018. pic.twitter.com/NHUJfTOrE1
— PRIYANKA GLOBAL (@priyanka_global) February 20, 2018
The legislators now even demand Assam Tourism to remove Priyanka as their brand ambassador. Instead, they suggest the company should appoint a celebrity hailing from the area. They said:
“There are a lot of talented Assamese actors, the government should look into this and accordingly appoint one.”
However, State Tourism Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma slammed their remarks and defended the Bollywood actress. He argued: “A section of Congress legislators in Assam are trying to get cheap publicity out of the issue.
“When we receive felicitation in some stage do we go wearing dhoti, the traditional dress of Assam or wearing pants and shirts? If someone comes to Assam from abroad will he be felicitated after wearing dhoti?”
Assam Tourism Chairman Jayanta Malla Baruah also defended PeeCee, adding: “Priyanka Chopra is an international figure and her presentation in the calendar has not diminished Assam’s culture in any way.”
The actress first became the corporation’s brand ambassador back in 2016. According to Congress Leader Debabrata Saikia, however, her time in the role hasn’t generated positive growth in tourism. He said:
“The data placed in the House today revealed that while 28,419 foreign tourists visited the state during 2016-16, only 9,421 foreign tourists had visited the state in the current fiscal (till October 2018).”
The starlet herself is yet to make a comment on the controversy. However, this isn’t the only trouble she has faced in recent times. In September 2017, she caused an uproar over her comments on Sikkim, claiming it was a state “troubled with insurgency”.
She made the comment whilst promoting Pahuna, a film she produced. She later apologised, with a letter allegedly written by her to the Sikkim Tourism Minister, saying:
“I mentioned how Sikkim was grappling with the refugee situation caused by insurgencies… I had meant by the ‘neighbouring countries’ .. I’m fully aware that Sikkim is an incredible host nation to so many refugees…”
With this new controversy, many will now wait to see if Priyanka responds to the Congress legislators’ comments.
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