Rahul Gandhi called Kamal Nath’s “article” comment against a BJP leader “unfortunate”
Wayanad:
Congressional Rahul Gandhi today became the first party leader to openly criticize his colleague Kamal Nath for his comment on the “article” on Imarti Devi, a BJP candidate for by-elections in Madhya Pradesh. The comment generated a lot of controversy before the elections, with the state’s ruling BJP and the candidate appealing to the head of Congress, Sonia Gandhi, for the expulsion of the former chief minister.
Amid the tumult on the issue, Gandhi told reporters today: “Kamal Nath ji is from my party, but personally, I don’t like the kind of language he used … I don’t appreciate it regardless of who he is. “.
#WATCH Kamal Nath ji is from my group, but personally, I don’t like the kind of language he used … I don’t appreciate it, no matter who he is. It is regrettable: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on comment on “article” by former CM of Madhya Pradesh pic.twitter.com/VT149EjHu0
– ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2020
On Sunday, while campaigning in Dabra, Nath had targeted Imarti Devi, saying that the congressional candidate Suresh Raje was a “simple person” as opposed to his opponent who is an “element.”
“Why should I take the name (of the opposition candidate)? Everyone knows that person better than I do. What a topic,” Mr. Nath said as the crowd responded with cheers and chanted his name.
Nath has not apologized for the comment so far. Instead, he tried to explain it yesterday as an ordinary term, used because he couldn’t remember the name of the BJP candidate.
“I said something, it wasn’t to insult anyone,” Nath said. “He just didn’t remember (the person’s) name … this list (in his hand) says item number 1, item number 2. Is this an insult?” he said.
Imarti Devi had been a minister in Kamal Nath’s government for 15 months before it collapsed in March this year. She was also among the 22 members of the justice who left the party with Jyotiraditya Scindia, leading to her collapse.
Yesterday, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Kamal Nath’s archrival, held a silent protest and wrote to the head of Congress, Sonia Gandhi, on the issue, demanding action.
Imarti Devi had also appealed to the head of Congress, asking him if he would have tolerated the statement if it had been made about his daughter.
“I want to appeal to Sonia Gandhi, who is also a mother, not to keep those people in her party. Will she tolerate it if someone says something like this about her daughter? If those words are used for women, how can a woman move on? “he had told the ANI news agency.
It was not her fault that she was a Dalit from a poor family, he added.
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