'Gungi Gudiya' Remark On Sunetra Pawar Triggers Row As Congress Revives Slur Once Used Against Indira Gandhi

A political firestorm erupted in Maharashtra after Sunetra Pawar, the state Deputy CM, was called 'gungi gudiya' (silent doll) by the Congress's state unit. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Ajit Pawar faction, sharply criticised the statement, accusing the Congress of insulting women.

NCP workers took an aggressive stand by gathering outside the Congress office in Mumbai, demanding a public apology for the related statement.

What did Congress say?

Notably, on Monday, the Maharashtra Congress posted a clip of Pawar's press conference, in which NCP MLA Dhananjay Munde stopped her from taking questions over the law and order situation in Beed. In the video, Pawar could be seen ending the press conference soon after.

What made the Congress post controversial was the caption which read, "How long will Sunetra Pawar remain Gungi Gudiya (silent doll)?"

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Congress faces heat for contradicting own political legacy

The Congress is facing heat over the remarks with accusations of contradicting its own political legacy. Notably, the epithet was first directed against former PM Indira Gandhi by her political rivals in the late 1960s.

Gandhi with her role in liberation of Bangladesh and the subsequent 1971 had silenced the criticism and the party regarded the remark as unfair and insulting to women.

Maha Congress chief issues clarification

Meanwhile, Congress has tried to contain the controversy with a clarification. Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal clarified that there was no intention to personally insult Pawar.

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Sapkal added that if there was any misunderstanding regarding the choice of words, an explanation would be given. However, the NCP has expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation and has continued to demand a clear and public apology.

NCP workers have warned that if the Congress does not publicly apologise, the agitation will be intensified in the future. 

Reacting to the controversy, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde slammed the Congress by saying that it should be ashamed of its remarks against Maharashtra's first woman Deputy Chief Minister. He equated the slur with an insult to women in the state.