Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Scindia hold protests over Kamal Nath's remark on party leader Imarti Devi

Bhopal, Oct 19: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia held a "silent protests" against former State CM Kamal Nath after he referred to BJP minister Imarti Devi as an "item". While Chouhan held a two-hour protest in Bhopal, Scindia and other party members held a protest in Indore.

Kamal Nath's comment sparked a controversy in the political line amid campaigning for the bypolls to 28 Assembly seats in the state . Addressing a poll meeting in Dabra in support of Congress candidate Suresh Raja, Nath hailed him as a "simple man" unlike his opponent(Imarti Devi) who is an "item". "Why should I take the name (of the opposing candidate)? You all know that person better than me. What an item," he said.

Madhya Pradesh CM, along with state ministers Narottam Mishra, Bhupendra Singh, Vishwas Sarang and some women members of the BJP began the 'maun vrat' (silent fast) at Minto Hall in Bhopal at 10 am.

BJP's Rajya Sabha member Scindia and Lok Sabha member Shankar Lalwani sat on the silent protest at Regal Square in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Indore city. Besides, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Madhya Pradesh BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma, senior party leader Prabhat Jha along with some other leaders staged a similar protest in Gwalior.

Meanwhile, State's ruling party lodged a complaint with the Election Commission saying that the remark was an "insult" to women leaders and the SC community.

State cabinet minister for Women and Child Development, Imarti Devi, was one of the 22 MLAs who resigned in March, bringing down the Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh. She subsequently joined the BJP and is now a party candidate for the bypoll in Dabra, a seat reserved for SC candidates.