Madhya Pradesh minister Imarti Devi on Monday hit back at state Congress chief Kamal Nath for his “item” jibe. Devi, a former Congress minister, said that Nath doesn’t know how to respect a Dalit woman and had lost his mind after losing the chief minister’s post.

Nath, who is campaigning for a by-election at Dabra town from where Imarti Devi is contesting on BJP ticket, on Sunday said his party’s candidate was a simple person unlike his opponent who is an ‘item’, reported PTI.

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Commenting on the issue, Devi said, “He (Nath) does not know how to speak decently. He belongs to Bengal and is not from Madhya Pradesh. What does he know about respecting a Harijan (Dalit) woman? Nath went mad after resigning as chief minister and he can say anything.”

The exit of Imarti Devi and 21 other Congress MLAs in March brought down Nath’s government.

“In Madhya Pradesh, mothers and daughters are considered as Goddess Lakshmi and Nath is abusing them. I want Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to remove him from the party,” she further said.

Nath would not be able to win a single seat for the Congress from among 28 seats where bypolls are scheduled for November 3, she claimed.

Also Read | ‘Sack him’: After Kamal Nath’s ‘item’ row, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan writes letter to Sonia

Meanwhile, a video purportedly showing Devi breaking down while talking about Nath’s remarks to a news channel went viral on social media, reported PTI.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan wrote to Sonia Gandhi, demanding she sack Nath from all party posts for insulting a Dalit woman.

“Your silence would compel me to think that you agree with Nath’s statement,” Chouhan said in the letter.

Chouhan, BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar and other party leaders also sat on a two-hour silent fast to protest Nath’s statement.

State Congress spokesperson Durgesh Sharma said the BJP was trying to divert attention from real issues, and claimed that rape cases are on rise in MP.