CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas has moved a privilege motion against BJP MP Sushmita Dev, alleging that she addressed him as lungiwala during proceedings in the Upper House on Monday (August 10).
According to Mr. Brittas’ complaint, the exchange happened during a discussion on The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 on Monday (August 11, 2026).
During his intervention, Ms. Dev allegedly left her allotted seat and moved to a seat immediately behind him, near that of her party colleague Sukhendu Sekhar Roy. Mr. Brittas alleged that she repeatedly heckled him and addressed him as lungiwala.
In his complaint, Mr. Brittas is understood to have argued that the expression was not a stray or inadvertent remark but a deliberate and sustained personal reference that also invoked a derogatory stereotype about South Indians. He contended that the term has historically been used in a pejorative manner to ridicule South Indians.
Mr. Brittas further argued that the expression could be traced to anti-South Indian mobilisation in Mumbai during the 1960s and 1970s, when such references were allegedly deployed to target migrants from southern States.
Published - August 11, 2026 11:13 pm IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
