Ranchi, Oct 26 (IANS): Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has called upon Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to remove Minister Irfan Ansari from his cabinet over his alleged derogatory remarks against BJP candidate Sita Soren.

Chouhan questioned how someone "who cannot use respectful language towards a woman" could remain a Minister.

He highlighted Sita Soren’s esteemed family ties, as the wife of Jharkhand movement leader Durga Soren, daughter-in-law of JMM President Shibu Soren, and sister-in-law of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. "Irfan Ansari’s comments are not just an insult to Sita Soren but to all women of Jharkhand and India. If CM Hemant Soren has any shame left, he should immediately sack Ansari," Chouhan said, urging Soren to act if he values respect for women.

Union Minister Annapurna Devi also condemned Ansari's comments, accusing the Congress of harbouring an anti-women mentality. "Irfan Ansari’s statement exposes the Congress party's true views on women. It’s an anti-women party," she remarked, demanding that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi withdraw Ansari's candidature if he truly respects women.

After the controversy erupted over Ansari’s remarks, a BJP team, led by Sudhir Srivastava, filed a formal complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer in Ranchi on Saturday, demanding Ansari’s expulsion from the state until the Assembly elections, the cancellation of his nomination, and the registration of a criminal case.

Soon after, a Congress delegation, led by Kishore Nath Shahdeo, Rajesh Gupta, and Imran Ansari, also submitted a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer, accusing the BJP of defamation and requesting suitable action.

On October 24, after filing his nomination papers, Ansari had allegedly made disparaging comments about BJP candidate Sita Soren, referring to her as a "borrowed player" and "rejected…" and suggesting that the BJP "hijacks" such candidates.

When the video of his statement went viral, Sita Soren demanded an apology, accusing Ansari of crossing all limits with his language. As the row escalated, in response, Ansari claimed that his words were misrepresented, alleging that his video was edited to portray a misleading narrative.

Ansari has threatened to file a defamation suit of Rs 100 crore against the BJP and Sita Soren.