The issue flared after the Congress posted a video on social media in which NCP leader Dhananjay Munde reportedly shielded Sunetra Pawar from a journalist's question about the law and order situation in Beed.
Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday branded deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar a "gungi gudiya" (mute doll), drawing a sharp rebuttal from the Nationalist Congress Party, which asked if the Opposition party now endorses the infamous slur once hurled at former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Key Points
- Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, also hit out at the Congress, saying it should be ashamed of its remarks against Maharashtra's first woman deputy CM.
- Pawar is the guardian minister of Beed district, where Munde's close aide Walmik Karad is the prime accused in the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.
- Hitting back, NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil asked if the Opposition party was indirectly admitting that criticism of late Indira Gandhi was justified.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, also hit out at the Congress, saying it should be ashamed of its remarks against Maharashtra's first woman deputy CM, and added that it was an insult to all women in the state.
The issue flared after the Congress posted a video on social media in which NCP leader Dhananjay Munde reportedly shielded Sunetra Pawar from a journalist's question about the law and order situation in Beed district.
In the recent video, Munde is seen interrupting a journalist's question. Pawar did not respond to the question but left the venue once Munde announced the interaction as over. The Congress posted the video on its social media handle, labelling her a "gungi gudiya".
Pawar is the guardian minister of Beed district, where Munde's close aide Walmik Karad is the prime accused in the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.
"Sunetra Pawar, how many more days will she remain a 'gungi gudiya'?" the Congress stated in the post.
Hitting back, NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil asked if the Opposition party was indirectly admitting that criticism of late Indira Gandhi was justified.
"While democracy allows differences of opinion and even sharp criticism of policies, language that demeans women does not befit any political party," Patil said.
He questioned if the Congress, by using the term 'gungi gudiya' against Sunetra Pawar, was indirectly endorsing the criticism once directed at former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
"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.
The Congress, with its "objectionable" social media post, appeared to be contradicting its own political legacy, he claimed.
Patil said that Indira Gandhi had responded to criticism through her leadership and achievements, particularly during the Bangladesh Liberation War and through her decisive approach to national security, which earned her recognition as a global leader.
He urged the Congress to withdraw the expression and uphold the tradition of maintaining dignity and respect in public political discourse.
Deputy CM Shinde said the Congress should feel ashamed of the remarks it made against the state'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," he told reporters.
NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde claimed the Congress feared Sunetra Pawar's growing political stature.
"How much the Congress party hates the state's first woman Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar is evident from its social media post against her. The Congress should introspect before making such comments," Munde told reporters at Mantralaya.
Munde said Indira Gandhi was once referred to as "gungi gudiya" by Opposition parties, but she later proved her critics wrong through her performance as prime minister.
"Our leader Sunetra Pawar's work in the coming days will outperform her critics. This is exactly why Congress fears Pawar, and that is why the party posted a critical remark against her on social media," he claimed.
Referring to the criticism over the viral video, Munde said the "media trial" against him was disheartening.
Munde had stepped down as Maharashtra's agriculture minister after the name of his close aide Karad surfaced in a case about the alleged extortion and murder of a sarpanch.
Meanwhile, asked about the "gungi gudiya" comment, Opposition NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar 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 said that late Indira Gandhi's critics used the term "gungi gudiya" for her, but she proved them wrong through her work.
