Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath referred former Cabinet Minister Imarti Devi as an 'item'.
The Congress leader can be heard saying, "Our candidate is not like her... what's her name? (people shout Imarti Devi, who is former State Minister) You know her better and should have warned me earlier... ye kya item hai."
He became a centre of outrage soon after.
Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party unit submited a complaint to Election Commission against the Former Madhya Pradesh CM for 'referring to BJP leader Imarti Devi as "item" at an election rally'.
Hitting back, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took to Twitter to say "Imarti Devi is the daughter of a poor farmer" who rose to become a public servant after starting off as a village labourer.
By referring to a woman as "item", the Congress and its and leadership have revealed its "feudal mindset", Chouhan tweeted further.
Later, a BJP delegation met Election Commission officials in Bhopal and complained against Nath for "insulting women and Dalits".
Devi and 21 other MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia had resigned from the Congress and the state Assembly and joined the BJP in March, in the process bringing down the Nath government.
Counting of votes of the bypolls will be held on November 10.
Irked Twitterati slammed the Congress leader for his derogatory remark.