A controversy over an alleged “lungiwala” remark by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sushmita Dev against the Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M) MP John Brittas during Monday’s proceedings disrupted the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday after Brittas raised the matter in the House.
Dev rejected the allegation that she had made any disparaging reference to the attire associated with a particular state.
The matter led to a commotion during the morning session, prompting Chairman CP Radhakrishnan to adjourn the Rajya Sabha until 2 pm. When proceedings resumed, Dev gave her version of events on the floor of the House. Leader of the House JP Nadda said the differences between the two MPs could be settled if they met him in his chamber.
What happened?
The row stems from an incident on August 10, when Brittas was speaking on a statutory resolution opposing the Income Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026. Brittas raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, alleging that Dev had moved from her designated seat to one directly behind him while he was speaking and repeatedly referred to him as “lungiwala”, according to PTI.
“She repeatedly called me lungiwala,” he alleged.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament complex after the proceedings, Brittas repeated his allegation against Dev, claiming that she had made derogatory comments about him while he was moving a statutory resolution.
“She made derogatory remarks against me, calling me a lungiwala while I was moving a statutory resolution,” he said.
Brittas further claimed that Dev’s senior party colleague Sukhendu Sekhar Roy had told her that she should not have made such remarks.
Brittas had previously filed a privilege motion against Dev over the alleged remarks.
What Dev said
Following the adjournment, Dev clarified her position in the House, saying she wanted to place on record that she had not made any derogatory comments about the traditional attire of any state.
“I am a Bengali from Assam. I have seen different states where we wear different attire and clothes. Neither I nor any members have cast aspersions on any state’s attire. I wanted to put that on record,” she said.
Dev added that she had known Brittas for a considerable period and said she was open to speaking with him should he require any clarification.
She stressed that Parliament should not send a message suggesting that any member favours dividing India, whether along cultural or religious lines.
“No message from this House should go that any member wants division in India whether culturally or on the basis of religion,” the BJP MP stated.
Dev, while speaking to the media separately, said she had filed a breach of privilege motion against Brittas, which is currently before the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
“I have moved a Breach of Privilege motion against Honourable Member Mr John Brittas. It is pending with the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. He will take a decision,” she said.
Dev also said she possessed a video recording of the proceedings from 4.34 pm on August 10, when the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill was under discussion. She alleged that Brittas’ remarks on the microphone concerning religion and a political party’s allegiance were not in keeping with his usual conduct.
Dev said she had known Brittas for a long time and was surprised by the way the issue had been reported in Kerala, a state she said she deeply respected and cared for. She maintained that the matter had been presented in a misleading way and appealed to people in Kerala to wait for the outcome of the privilege proceedings before drawing conclusions.
“I myself come from North-East; we wear mekhalas, we wear dhotis, for this to be spread is completely misleading, and I hope the people of Kerala will wait till the privilege motion is decided to see who’s right and who’s wrong,” she mentioned.
Dev also referred to Brittas as a “dear friend” and said she had told him in the House that he was free to approach her if he needed any clarification.
Opposition protests over cultural attire controversy
The row later spilled into the Parliament complex, where Opposition MPs staged a demonstration carrying placards with messages such as “Our pride, not your prejudice” and “Hey BJP stop cultural policing”. The protesters also marched out of the Parliament building while raising slogans of “unity in diversity”.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the issue was about respecting India’s cultural diversity and alleged that the BJP was targeting people based on their choice of attire.
Singh defended Brittas’ choice to wear a lungi in the House, saying the attire reflected the cultural traditions of Kerala and several other southern states.
“The way 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,” he said.
CPI MP P Santhosh Kumar also described the matter as serious. He said disagreements among MPs were a normal part of democratic debate, but objecting to someone’s clothing, food preferences or cultural identity was unacceptable.
“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 said.
Brittas later shared a video on X showing several Opposition leaders, including Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, participating in the protest dressed in Kerala-style mundus. MPs from Kerala and Tamil Nadu were also seen taking part in the demonstration.
“Our attire is our culture… Our attire is our pride!” Brittas mentioned in the post.
JP Nadda steps in
Leader of the House JP Nadda offered to mediate and settle the misunderstanding between the two MPs.
“If both MPs come to my chamber, this misunderstanding can be resolved,” he said.
