John Brittas moves privilege motion against BJP MP Sushmita Dev over ‘lungi wala’ remark

CPI-M MP John Brittas has moved a privilege motion against BJP MP Sushmita Dev over an alleged “lungi wala” remark. Several Opposition leaders backed Brittas, calling the remark disrespectful and a cultural attack, as noisy scenes disrupted proceedings in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: CPI-M MP John Brittas on Wednesday said that he has moved a privilege motion against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sushmita Dev for an alleged disrespectful remark against him, as other opposition leaders backed him, referring to her remark as an “attack on India’s culture”.

This comes following noisy scenes in the Rajya Sabha which led to an eventual adjournment till 2 p.m. after the CPI-M member raised the issue.

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Speaking to IANS, Brittas said: “I have moved a privilege motion notice against Sushmita Dev for her derogatory remark, ‘lungi wala,’ which stereotypes South Indians and is not acceptable. It is a shorthand for othering. I am proud to be a Malayali, I am proud to be a South Indian, and I am proud to be an Indian. We celebrate the diversity of this country. The remarks she made are unbecoming of a Member of Parliament, and I believe the Hon’ble Chairman and the Committee of Privileges will take note of this.”

Backing Brittas, CPI-M member P. Sandosh Kumar termed it a “very serious issue”.

“One of our colleagues in the House was insulted by being called ‘lungi wala.’ Inside the House, such arguments are nothing new; they have happened many times before. One person speaks and another opposes them, and we accept that because in a democracy, this is nothing new or wrong. But you broke protocol and targeted people based on their dress, food habits and culture. How does that make sense?” he told IANS.

Emphasising that India is a country of diversity, AAP member Sanjay Singh said: “Here, people of different languages, different castes, different religions and different attires live. Raising questions about someone’s attire and humiliating them has become a tradition of the Bharatiya Janata Party.”

“Our colleague John Brittas comes to the House wearing a ‘lungi’, which is part of the culture of South India, the culture of Malayalam and Keralite people, Tamil culture, Karnataka culture, Odisha culture, Andhra culture, and Telangana culture. Making insulting and humiliating remarks about it inside the House is very unfortunate. Today, for this very reason, all opposition parties raised this issue inside the House along with John Brittas,” he told reporters.

Echoing a similar view, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) MP Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan said: “The attack today was a cultural attack. There are many regions, religions, and cultures in India, and every state has its own distinct culture…The BJP MP’s (remark) is an insult to any culture (in India).”