Congress's Rahul Gandhi became the first leader of the party to openly criticise senior colleague Kamal Nath for his “item” remark on Imarti Devi, a BJP candidate for the by-elections in Madhya Pradesh. The comment has generated huge controversy ahead of the by-polls, with both the state's ruling BJP and the woman candidate appealing to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for expulsion of the former Chief Minister. Kamal Nath refused to apologise, saying "It is Rahul Gandhi's opinion". Nath has not apologised for the comment so far, instead, he tried to explain it away as an ordinary term, used as he could not remember the BJP candidate's name. On October 18, while campaigning in Dabra, Nath had targeted Imarti Devi, saying the Congress candidate Suresh Raje was a "simple person" unlike his opponent who is an "item". Imarti Devi had been a minister in Kamal Nath's 15-month government before it collapsed in March 2020. She was also among the 22 MLAs who walked out of the party with Jyotiraditya Scindia, leading to the collapse. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the arch-rival of Kamal Nath, held a silent protest and wrote to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi about the issue, demanding action. Imarti Devi had also appealed to the Congress chief, asking if she would have condoned the statement had it been made about her daughter.

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