Betul (Madhya Pradesh), Feb 19 (IANS): Former minister in the previous Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, Sukhdev Panse, has made a derogatory remark against Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, calling her a 'Naachney Gaane waali' (which loosely translates into a cheap version of a public entertainer).

Panse said Ranaut, who insulted the farmers protesting at various borders of New Delhi, had met with a Congress-led protest during the shoot of her upcoming spy thriller Dhaakad leading to police action on the political party workers.

When some leaders from the Congress opposed her, the state police resorted to physically assaulting the Congress workers.

Kangana was at Sarni in the Betul district where the Congress protest took place last week.

Police used force on the Congress leaders and also registered cases against them.

On Thursday, Congress workers took out a rally under the leadership of Panse and submitted a memorandum to the District Collector.

Protesting the police action and FIRs registered, Panse said the police action was against democracy.

The Congress has been supporting the farmers agitation against the three contentious central farm laws.

"The police should not act as a puppet of Kangana as governments keep changing. There should be a fair investigation of the police's action against the Congress workers and no action should be taken against our party workers till the probe is complete," Panse added.

More than 250 Congress workers on February 12, protested at Sarni, where Ranaut was shooting. They demand that she apologise for her tweets against farmers.

In response, Kangana tweeted: "Police protection has been increased around me as Congress workers in MP held a protest to stop my shoot. Congress MLAs are saying they are protesting on behalf of farmers. Which farmer gave them such power of attorney? Why can't they protest for themselves?"