Mumbai: Political turmoil ignited in Maharashtra on Tuesday after the state unit of the Congress referred to Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar as a “gungi gudiya” (mute doll). The remark triggered a blistering response from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which asked whether the Opposition party was retroactively endorsing the infamous insult once used against former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Joining the condemnation, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde declared that the Congress should be ashamed of its statements against the state's first female Deputy Chief Minister, calling it a direct affront to women across Maharashtra.

The conflict erupted after the Congress shared a video on social media from a press conference. In the footage, NCP leader Dhananjay Munde was seen shielding Pawar from a journalist's inquiry regarding the law and order situation in Beed district, where Pawar serves as Guardian Minister and Munde's close associate Walmik Karad is named as the chief accused in the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.

Accompanying the video, the Congress posted, “Sunetra Pawar, how many more days will she remain a ‘gungi gudiya’?”

Reacting strongly, NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil questioned whether the Congress was tacitly accepting that past attacks on Indira Gandhi were valid.

“While democracy allows differences of opinion and even sharp criticism of policies, language that demeans women does not befit any political party,” Patil asserted.

He questioned whether the Congress, by deploying the term “gungi gudiya” against Sunetra Pawar, was indirectly legitimising historic slurs aimed at its own icon.

“Does this mean the Congress is now indirectly admitting that the criticism levelled against the late Indira Gandhi at the time was justified?” he asked.

Patil emphasised that by issuing such an “objectionable” social media post, the Congress appeared to be undermining its own historical legacy. He noted that Indira Gandhi answered her detractors through her governance and pivotal moments such as the 18-day Bangladesh Liberation War and her decisive security policies, securing her standing as a prominent global leader. He demanded that the Congress withdraw the phrase to preserve decorum in public discourse.

Weighing in on the phrase, NCP (SP) leader and Sunetra Pawar's nephew Rohit Pawar said, “The context should also be considered. A journalist wanted to ask her a question, and a local leader prevented him from doing his job, and Sunetra Pawar kept mum, despite having the power to prevent injustice.” He added that while opponents used the insult against Indira Gandhi in her early career, she eventually disproved them through her work.

Condemning the attack, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that the Opposition party must answer for targeting Maharashtra's first woman Deputy CM.

“This is an insult to all ‘ladki bahins’ in the state. In the 2024 assembly polls, ‘ladki bahins’ have shown what they can do,” Shinde told reporters.

PTI