'Will give fitting reply': Sunetra Pawar on Congress' 'gungi gudiya' jibe

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar declared on Tuesday that she would deliver an appropriate response to the Congress' disparaging remarks. The criticism came in the form of a social media post calling her a "gungi gudiya," or mute/silent doll. Pawar, currently serving her first tenure as Maharashtra deputy chief minister after her husband's death in January, also assumed the position of NCP president.

The controversy was sparked by the Maharashtra Congress, which received sharp condemnation from the NCP and its governing coalition partners, the BJP and Shiv Sena. Praful Patel, NCP working president and former Union minister, denounced the remark as derogatory and disrespectful to a woman leader. He further emphasized that the progressive ideals of Maharashtra would not tolerate such insults against women, citing notable statesmen like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and B.R. Ambedkar. Patel demanded the immediate removal of the post and a public apology from the Congress.

As tensions rose, NCP workers stormed the Congress' Gandhi Bhavan office in Mumbai to protest the social media post. Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal denounced the workers' actions, alleging they aimed to incite violence and accused the BJP and police of encouraging them. Despite the provocation, Sapkal reiterated that the Congress would adhere to Mahatma Gandhi's principles of non-violence.