‘Will always respect women but not play disgusting politics’: Kamal Nath writes to Chouhan

Ex-CM responds to CM's letter to Sonia on ‘item’ row, calls it a pile of lies

[File] Kamal Nath reiterated that he did not make any insulting comments during his campaign meeting in Dabra | PTI [File] Kamal Nath reiterated that he did not make any insulting comments during his campaign meeting in Dabra | PTI

In the continuing saga of ‘item’ comment row in Madhya Pradesh, former chief minister Kamal Nath has shot off a long letter to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, saying he has always shown respect to women. Kamal Nath’s letter on Monday came in response to Chouhan’s missive to Congress president Sonia Gandhi seeking action against the former CM.

Kamal Nath, who has been in the middle of a political storm after he called a woman minister an ‘item’, said he has always respected women in his 40-year-long political career and will continue to respect them. “But I will never resort to playing disgusting politics by a mere show of respect to women,” he said.

The Congress leader has charged Chouhan with packing a pile of lies in his letter to Sonia Gandhi as he (Chouhan) does during his campaign meets “by making fake promises and announcements”.

The ex-CM reiterated that he did not make any insulting comments during his campaign meeting in Dabra of Gwalior (the venue from where ‘item’ comment row erupted) and yet Chouhan served a string of lies. “The term that you are indicating ('item') has several meanings and explanations. But you and your party chose to decipher it whimsically because of the flaw in your mind and started spreading lies to mislead people. But the people of the state understand everything and they know that you are using all means to save your chair and distracting from the real issues to indulge in degenerate and immoral politics,” Kamal Nath said.

He also said Chouhan is now writing to Gandhi on issue of women honour and dignity while he had maintained silence on exploitation and violence against women in which Madhya Pradesh topped during 15 years of his (Chouhan’s) rule and never thought of sitting on ‘silent protest’.

The ex-CM also said that in Indian culture, honour and dignity of women was above all irrespective of the caste and creed. “If you were really concerned about the dignity of women, then you would have held silent protests on incidents in Hathras, incidents involving Swami Chinmayanand and Kuldeep Sengar and the incident involving a woman inmate in Rewa jail. But by mentioning the caste of the woman in the letter (to Gandhi) you have displayed your mentality of immoral politics,” Kamal Nath said.

The MP Congress chief also mentioned the comments of minister Bisahulal Singh and Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar (who allegedly called ex-BJP members made candidates by Congress as ‘rejected maal’) and said that it would have been better if Chouhan had written to the BJP chief seeking action on these leaders for their derogatory comments on women and had sat on genuine silent protest and apologized to the women of the state.

Kamal Nath expressed hope that Chouhan would observe true political purity and morality and make serious efforts for safety and dignity of women by rising above politics.

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