Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member and actor Khushbu Sundar said at a press meet on Saturday, November 25, that she would not apologise for using the phrase “cheri language” in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Doubling down on her claim that she was using the French word chéri — which translates to ‘beloved’ or ‘loved’ — in a sarcastic manner and not the Tamil word referring to the slums where marginalised communities reside, she alleged her words were being misconstrued by political parties. In an X post on November 21, Khushbu used the word ‘cheri’ while responding to a post from a DMK supporter who accused her of remaining silent during the Manipur issue but speaking about women’s safety when actor Mansoor Ali Khan made disparaging comments about actor Trisha.
Read: BJP's Khushbu draws flak for saying 'cheri', later claims it's a French word
“Why do I need to apologise for my statement when I did not mean to hurt Scheduled Caste people?” Khushbu asked at the press meet, adding that the word ‘cheri’ has been used even in government records. “What is the meaning of Velachery and Chemmenchery? You are Tamil people, right? You tell me what the meaning of cheri is,” she told reporters. People in the (cinema) industry and other places she has worked at would know that she never used abusive or hurtful language, she added.
Slamming Congress leaders who condemned her for using the word, Khushbu alleged the Congress party did not have the guts to question the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party member who posted abusive comments on X. “My post was meant for DMK only. Why are people from the Congress party crying over this matter? Is Congress now the spokesperson of DMK?” she asked.
Stating that up to 450 atrocities were recorded to have been committed against Dalits in Tamil Nadu in the past year alone, she asked if the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) or the Congress had even staged a protest for the welfare of Dalits. “Did these parties stage a protest in front of the Chief Minister's house or question the DMK during the Vengavayal issue?” she asked. In December last year, five Dalit children of Vengavayal village in Pudukkottai district fell ill and were hospitalised after caste Hindus allegedly contaminated their potable water with human excreta.
On November 21, a DMK supporter had taken to Twitter to accuse Khushbu, who is also a (nominated) member of the National Commission for Women (NCW), for speaking about women safety when actor Mansoor Ali Khan made disparaging comments about actor Trisha, while remaining silent on the gendered violence in Manipur. She responded by accusing him of using “cheri language”, which in turn drew flak from activists for its casteist connotations. After the outrage over her remark, Khushbu came up with a bizarre explanation on November 23 that she was referring to the French word ‘chéri’.
“I have always been proud of the values instilled in me by my mother. I am someone who has always been in the forefront of the rights of the underprivileged. Discrimination is in your dirty heads when you jump to conclusions without applying your minds. So, as always, I say, take a long walk. You will always be those following to gain two minutes of fame and expect my individual reaction. Sorry guys, you are not worth it,” she later posted on X.