MPs slam Allahbadia's remarks, call for regulation of social media

New Delhi: Parliamentarians on Monday frowned on influencer Ranveer Allahbadia remarks made during a YouTube show, terming them as vulgar and unacceptable, and called for regulation of social media.

BJP's Jagdambika Pal and Shiv Sena-UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said inappropriate and abusive language in the name of comedy was unacceptable.

On a comedy reality series on YouTube, popular among youngsters for its edgy bordering on offensive content, Allahbadia asked a question to a contestant on parents and sex, which has been panned by many on social media.

"Whether on YouTube or social media, inappropriate language needs to be banned …. Regulations regarding this should also be discussed if needed," Pal, the Lok Sabha member from Domariyaganj in Uttar Pradesh, said.

Chaturvedi, a Rajya Sabha member, said any abusive language in the name of comedy was unacceptable and that she would raise the issue at the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology and Communication.

"He is someone with millions of subscribers, every political leader has sat in his podcast. The Prime Minister has given him an award. You get a platform, that doesn't mean that you will utter anything," she said, "We need to set boundaries since these platforms influence young minds and they are passing off absolute rubbish as content. The language used by Ranveer Allahbadia which was also actively encouraged by others on that 'comedy panel' is unacceptable," Chaturvedi said.

In a video posted on X on Monday, Allahbadia admitted that his comment was not only inappropriate but also not funny.

Allahbadia, who has over 600,000 followers on X, 4.5 million on Instagram and 10.5 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, said the comment was a "lapse in judgement". The 31-year-old, popularly known as Beer Biceps, also said he has asked the show creators to remove the controversial segment.

"Comedy is not my forte. Just here to say sorry... Many of you asked if this is how I wish to use my platform.... Family is the last thing that I would ever disrespect. Need to use this platform better and that's been my learning from this whole experience. I promise to just get better... I hope you can forgive me as a human being," he said in a video statement on X.