MP Congress Chief Booked For Derogatory Remarks Against BJP's Imarti Devi, Draws Party's Ire

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari was charged for making allegedly derogatory remarks against the state BJP leader Imarti Devi.

A file photo of Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari

Source : X/@@jitupatwari

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari was booked on Friday for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Imarti Devi, the state BJP leader, which stirred controversy and prompted criticism from the ruling party. The complaint, filed by Imarti Devi herself, led to the registration of the FIR in Dabra town, Gwalior, as confirmed by a senior police official, news agency PTI reported. 

This episode unfolded when an audio clip on social media, purportedly featuring a woman endorsing Congress candidates from the Bhind and Gwalior Lok Sabha seats, was attributed to Imarti Devi, a former MLA from Dabra in Gwalior district. Imarti Devi, who previously served as a minister, refuted the claims, denouncing the audio as a conspiracy against her, according to PTI. 

In response to the audio clip and Imarti Devi's denial, Patwari allegedly made offensive remarks, employing a play on words with the term 'imarti', a popular Indian sweet. Patwari later apologised for his remark.

Insulting Women Is Congress' Character: Madhya Pradesh CM

Lashing out at Patwari, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said, "Where is (Congress general secretary) Priyanka Gandhi who used to say that ladki hoon lad sakti hoon? Now she should fight with her own state president who used derogatory language about Imarti Devi. One feels ashamed of even repeating it."

"Insulting women is the Congress' character. He (Patwari) should resign from his post immediately. Congress should take strict action on this issue," the CM also said, PTI reported.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, the BJP candidate from Guna Lok Sabha seat wrote on X late on Thursday night, "These are not just his words, but the mentality of the entire Congress party. Insulting Dalits, especially women, has become the norm of this party. Babasaheb Ambedkar has inspired the women and Dalits of the country to fight for their respect."

यह केवल इनके बोल नहीं, बल्कि पूरी कांग्रेस पार्टी की मानसिकता है। दलितों व ख़ासकर महिलाओं का अपमान इस पार्टी की रीत बन गई है। बाबा साहेब अंबेडकर ने देश की महिलाओं व दलितों को अपने सम्मान के लिए लड़ने की प्रेरणा दी है। हमारे मध्यप्रदेश के दलित भाई - बहन, @ImartiDevi के ऊपर इनकी… pic.twitter.com/pLtiZoqLeV

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (मोदी का परिवार) (@JM_Scindia) May 2, 2024

He shared a video of Patwari's remark and asked Dalit brothers and sisters of Madhya Pradesh to take revenge for the cheap comment about Imarti Devi.

MP Congress Chief Patwari Apologises For Remark On BJP's Imarti Devi

Later, around 3 am on Friday, Patwari wrote on X to express his regret over the comment.

"One of my statements is being distorted and presented in the wrong context. My intention was only to avoid answering the question. Imarti ji is like my elder sister. An elder sister is like a mother. I express my regret if anyone is still hurt," Patwari said.

मेरे एक बयान को तोड़मरोड़ कर, गलत संदर्भ में प्रस्तुत किया जा रहा है. मेरी मंशा सिर्फ सवाल के जवाब को टालने की थी. श्रीमती इमरती जी मेरी बड़ी बहन जैसी हैं और बड़ी बहन मां के समान होती है.
यदि फिर भी किसी को ठेस पहुंची हो,
तो मैं खेद व्यक्त करता हूं.

— Jitendra (Jitu) Patwari (@jitupatwari) May 2, 2024

As per Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Niranjan Sharma, an FIR was lodged against Patwari for violating Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act provisions as well as Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 509, which deals with insulting the modesty of any woman.

Imarti Devi said in her video message that she prayed to God to give wisdom to Congress leaders. "It does not suit them to speak like this about a Dalit woman. Patwari is young but senior leaders of his party have made several such comments on earlier occasions," she said, as quoted by PTI.

In a press briefing, Madhya Pradesh minister Krishna Gaur supported Imarti Devi, who she said was a "strong representative of Dalit woman power". "This is not only an insult to Imarti Devi but an insult to the entire women power of the country and Scheduled Castes. This shows the basic character of Congress. They insult women whenever they find an opportunity," Gaur said.

She also queried the silence of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on the issue.

When Patwari arrived in the afternoon at Ghodadongri town in the Betul district, the BJP workers in the area waved black flags.

In March 2020, Imarti Devi and Scindia, two Congress MLAs, joined the BJP, which led to the fall of the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. After 2020, she ran as a BJP candidate for the Dabra assembly seat and lost both times.