Sir — All political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress, contesting the Delhi Assembly election, have adopted the culture of the ‘Gandhi cap’ for their workers. This culture had regained popularity during Anna Hazare’s lokpal movement, because Anna, being a Gandhian Maharashtrian, has always used the Gandhian cap. It is significant that the Gandhi cap made of khadi is still quite popular in Maharashtra.
But the caps used by different party workers during the poll campaigns are not made of khadi or any other cotton fabric. Gandhi caps made of khadi were introduced in the pre-independence era to promote hand-woven khadi on the charkha, which was a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi’s. Khadi caps, rather than caps of anti-environmental polyester fibre, should be used by party workers and others.