Shivraj Chouhan had said, "It's an insult to not only Imarti Devi but also to Madhya Pradesh's daughters"
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today declared a "silent protest" over former Chief Minister Kamal Nath's "item" remark against a woman Congress leader who switched over to the BJP. Mr Chouhan had said he would observe a two-hour "Maun Vrat" as "penance for Kamal Nath's act" in state capital Bhopal.
Mr Chouhan was accompanied by state ministers Narottam Mishra, Bhupendra Singh, Vishwas Sarang and some women members of the BJP as he began the silent protest at Minto Hall at 10 am.
BJP's Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia and Lok Sabha member Shankar Lalwani, meanwhile, held a silent protest at Regal Square in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Indore city.
Interestingly, posters of Congress leader Minakshi Natrajan were used by the BJP to project the Congress as anti-women. Few years ago, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had courted controversy for making seemingly sexist remark against Ms Natrajan. "Our party MP, Meenakshi Natrajan, is a Gandhian, simple and an honest leader. She keeps going from place to place in her constituency. I am a seasoned smith of politics. Meenakshi sau tunch maal hai (a northern colloquial that loosely translates into "a desirable object)," Mr Singh had said during a rally.
On Sunday, while addressing a campaign meeting in Dabra, where the BJP has fielded Imarti Devi, Mr Nath said the Congress candidate was a "simple person", unlike his BJP rival, and called her an "item". "Why should I take the name (of the opposing candidate)? You all know that person better than me. What an item," Mr Nath said amid cheers from the crowd which kept shouting "Imarti Devi" as the remarks were being made.
BJP used posters of Congress leader Minakshi Natrajan to project the Congress as anti-women.
Imarti Devi was among the 22 Congress MLAs who quit the party earlier this year and crossed over to the BJP, leading to the collapse of the Kamal Nath government. Bypolls are being held next month in the constituencies that fell vacant after the switch.
Mr Nath's comments against Ms Devi have created a furore among the BJP leaders who accused the senior Congress leader of having a "feudal mindset".
The chief minister has led the attack, saying that the comment shows the "crooked and despicable mentality of the Congress".
"It is an insult to not only Imarti Devi but also to Madhya Pradesh's daughters and sisters. Kamal Nath is using objectionable words for a daughter who served Congress for so long. It is a country where Mahabharat took place when Draupadi was disrespected. People won't tolerate it. Shame on him," Mr Chouhan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"I am distressed by the fact that the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh has used derogatory words for our present minister who served Congress for years, who rose from labourer to ministerial position," he added.
Mr Chouhan also wrote to Congress President Sonia Gandhi demanding immediate removal of Kamal Nath from all party posts.
Imarti Devi also hit out at Kamal Nath for the comment, making it about caste as much as an insult to women. "What is my fault if I was born in a poor family? What is my fault if I belong to Dalits? I want to appeal to Sonia Gandhi, who is also a mother, to not keep such people in her party. If such words will be used for women then how can any woman move forward?" she told news agency ANI.
This morning, BSP chief Mayawati also objected to the remark and asked the Congress for a public apology. "The extremely anti-women remarks made by senior Congress leader and former CM about Dalit women contesting the by-election in Dabra Reserve Assembly seat of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh are shameful and extremely condemnable. Taking cognizance of this, the Congress high command should publicly apologize," the BSF chief.
A BJP delegation met Election Commission officials in Bhopal and complained against Mr Nath for "insulting women and Dalits".
Bypolls for 28 Madhya Pradesh Assembly seats will be held on November 3 and results will be declared on November 10.
With inputs from agencies