BHOPAL: The political storm kicked up by ex-CM and state Congress president Kamal Nath’s referring to Jyotiraditya Scindia-loyalist cabinet minister Imarti Devi as “item” on Sunday is far from over.
Under attack from the BJP, Kamal Nath seemingly justified his “item” reference. While addressing an election rally in Khandwa district on Monday, Nath said “I had said something yesterday, but I didn’t say it intentionally. I wasn’t remembering the name and so I said it.”
Trying his best to play down the controversy, Nath further said, “I may utter the same word about someone else whose name I don’t remember. Even on the stage of today’s rally, the Item No. 1 is Rajnarayan Singh and Item No. 2 is Ajay Singh,” said Nath.
“Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been searching to rake up some issue. So, he sat in protest, alleging that I insulted someone. Kamal Nath doesn’t insult anyone, but truthfully exposes your (Shivraj’s) deeds,” said Nath.
While Nath seemingly justified his reference, the ruling BJP took to Maun Vrat (silent protest) politics over the issue across the state.
While chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan along with senior ministers of state government observed the silent protest for two hours in Bhopal on Monday, the Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia protested silently in Indore. The state BJP president VD Sharma protested in a similar manner in Gwalior, which is the nucleus of 16 out of the 28 assembly by-polls slated on November 3.
Chouhan, meanwhile, also wrote a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi demanding that Nath be sacked from all posts of the party over the insulting reference about MP’s women and child development minister, so that other such leaders in Congress party can learn a lesson from it.
“If you remain silent over the issue, we’ll be forced to believe that you as AICC president are in agreement with Nath for the insulting remark against the Dalit minister Imarti Devi,” Chouhan wrote in the letter.
Imarti Devi too demanded that as a woman the Congress president should oust Kamal Nath from the party. “She (Sonia Gandhi) too is a mother, if someone refers to her daughter in the same manner as Nath did about me, How will she feel?,” questioned Devi, the BJP candidate from Dabra (SC) seat of Gwalior district.
Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati tweeted over the issue terming Nath’s objectionable reference about the Dalit woman politician as shameful and condemnable. “Taking cognizance of the matter, the Congress high-command should tender a public apology over the issue,” tweeted Mayawati.