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BJP's Khushbu Sundar finds Congress's ire over 'Cheri' remark funny: 'Seen enough of these jokers'
Khushbu Sundar's social media post mentioning 'Cheri' has drawn the ire of the Congress and several Dalit organisations.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Khushbu Sundar on Saturday said that burning her effigy by members of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) Scheduled Caste wing over her ‘Cheri language’ remark was “very funny” and that she has seen “enough of these jokers”.
A controversy erupted earlier this week when Khusbu Sundar used the term ‘Cheri’ while expressing her views about comments made by Tamil actor Mansoor Ali Khan against his Leo co-star Trisha on X.
"This is what DMK goons do. Use a foul language. But this is what they are taught. To insult a woman. Sorry can't speak your cheri language but I would suggest wake up and look what was spoken and action taken. And if DMK does not teach you about laws, then shame on you being a lawyer and shame on your leader for having idiots like you around him. @mkstalin beware of the bunch of fools who are out there to destroy you," Sundar said in a social media post.
Khushbu's post mentioning 'Cheri' drew the ire of the Congress and several Dalit organisations.
"Cheri is the Tamil word for Dalit ghettos, the place that has witnessed inter-generational resistance of Dalit women against caste, gender and other forms of oppression. Normalising the 'colloquial' use of this term to denote foul and disrespect, within the connotation of profanity disregards the history, culture and lives of the community. This is unacceptable and strongly condemnable!" Neelam Cultural Centre said in a post on 'X'.
Khushbu Sundar later claimed that she used the French term 'Cheri' which means beloved or loved.
Not satisfied with her clarification, a group of TNCC Scheduled Caste wing members burnt Khushbu's effigy in Chennai on Friday.
Reacting to the protest, the BJP leader said, “I find it very funny that Congress is coming up with these things. We have seen Congress where Jawaharlal Nehru or Indira Gandhi had given themselves, awarded themselves Bharat Ratna. But Dr. Ambedkar was given Bharat Ratna by VP Singh when Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani had fought for it. So you can present yourself with Bharat Ratna. But all these years a man who was champion of the Dalits and the Scheduled caste you were never able to award him.”
“This is very funny and if they say they're going to burn effigies or they're going to be right outside my door, I have seen enough of it. I have seen enough of these Congress guys...I've seen enough of these jokers. I'm ready to face them. People who know me, they know that I don't use any kind of foul language,” she added.
