Sushma Swaraj, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, speaking on Nido Taniam's death in Parliament
Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Taniam's death after being beaten at a south Delhi market last week raised tempers in Parliament today as MPs across parties condemned race discrimination.
Sushma Swaraj, the Leader of Opposition, made an impassioned appeal for protection of citizens from the northeast but surprised many with an inadvertent slur.
"A child came from Arunachal Pradesh and they made fun of his hairstyle. We need to understand the diversity of this country, that a teekhi naakwala and chapti naakwala (those with sharp noses and flat noses) all belong to India," said the senior BJP leader.
The remark, said critics, ended up reinforcing stereotypes about people from the region and would not go down well with Northeast protestors in Delhi who say racial discrimination is rampant in the national capital.
"Maybe she should have chosen her words more carefully," said Phurpa Tsering, a student who has been protesting in Delhi since Nido's death.
Ms Swaraj also urged the government to set up hostels for students from the northeast, to be shared by those from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to help bridge divides.
Nido, 20, died on Thursday, hours after he was beaten by a group of shopkeepers at Lajpat Nagar who had jeered at his hairstyle and made allegedly racist comments. His family alleges that he died of severe injuries from the beating. The police have booked six men for assault and alleged race attack.
MPs loudly demanded a law to check racism, shouting slogans till Speaker Meira Kumar said, "the incident should be condemned by the entire House. A message should go that Parliament and Lok Sabha, that children and people of the northeast should be protected."
Central minister Ninong Ering, one of the two MPs from Arunachal Pradesh, deplored that such discrimination continued so many years after independence. He asked the Centre to include chapters on the northeast in schoolbooks to help sensitize people and improve awareness on the region.