Tripura CM takes on Diana Hayden, fashion industry

Tripura's Chief Minster Biplab Deb has again put his foot in the mouth – for the second time in the last two weeks, which is a record of sorts.

This time, Deb took on the international fashion, textile and cosmetic industry, in general, and Diana Hayden, the Miss World of 1997, in particular.

Speaking at a programme in Agartala, Deb said Hayden did not deserve the crown and was merely chosen for business reasons by what he called the "international fashion mafias".

"Even Dayna Hayden got it (the world title). See, everyone is laughing. Tell me, was Diana Hayden supposed to get it? Aishwarya Rai got it. That's justified, because she carries the essence of beauty of Indian women. Indian beauty is all about Goddess Laxmi, Goddess Saraswati... Diana Hayden does not fit into that class of beauty," he said. Then, he added a disclaimer, lest he is misunderstood - "I am not opposing her though".Warming up to the theme, he again went off the tangent. Indians don't win International pageants now, he declared, forgetting momentarily that Haryana's Manushi Chillar won the Miss World title last year.

The reason, he said was the market is saturated with beauty products. "In entire Tripura, I see so many beauty parlours, it is an industry, it is a business," he said.

Indian beauty is all about Goddess Laxmi, Goddess Saraswati... Diana Hayden does not fit into that class of beauty

But how will he address the malaise? Make marketing of Indian products strong, he said. While he did not specify any product, Deb did point out that in ancient times, mud and methi water were the tried and tested items. Though there is no detracting from the virtues of methi and mud, one hopes Deb will play greater attention to his state’s beautiful landscape.