Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Monday claimed he referred to Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the Dabra bye-polls,...
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Monday claimed he referred to Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the Dabra bye-polls, Imarti Devi, as an “item” because he forgot her name, NDTV reported.
“I said something, it wasn’t to insult anyone,” Nath said. “I just didn’t remember the [Devi’s] name.” The senior Congress leader then showed a list of poll candidates and said: “This list says item number 1, item number 2. Is this an insult?”
A controversy erupted after Nath at a poll meeting in Gwalior’s Dabra district on Sunday said Congress candidate Suresh Raje was a “simple man” unlike his opponent who is an “item”. Nath was also dismissive of Devi’s candidature before.
“Ye unke jaise nahi hai… kya hai uska naam? [He is not like her, what is her name?],” Nath had asked the crowd that responded with Devi’s name. “You know her better than I do, you people should have warned me beforehand… ye kya item hai… kya item hai.”
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has sought a “detailed report” from the chief electoral officer of Madhya Pradesh on Nath’s remarks. “Based on the report received from the chief electoral officer of MP, we have asked for a detailed report,” an unidentified EC functionary told The Indian Express. “It would be with the Commission on Tuesday. Based...
