Mumbai: It has been six months since the death of Ajit Pawar, and after a period of sympathetic silence towards his widow and political heir, deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar, the gloves gradually seem to be coming off in the political arena. The latest barb aimed at her came from outside the NCP, with the Congress referring to Sunetra as a “gungi gudiya” (mute doll), which in turn led to the NCP barging into the Congress office here on Tuesday to demand an apology.There were demonstrations by the NCP in Thane and Pune as well. By evening, Sunetra, too, had given a bite: “When the time comes, I will give a fitting response.”The Congress remark had come after an NCP MLA was seen calling an end to questions at a press conference held by Sunetra.Sunetra has so far managed to persevere over internal party leadership rumblings, and may again have the upper hand in the latest, intra-party exchange of heat as the Congress was forced on the back foot by public and political opinion, including from within the party.The irony of the situation is that the term the Congress used against Sunetra was once used by critics against one of its own, former prime minister Indira Gandhi, when she began her political innings in 1966.The state Congress had posted a clip from Sunetra Pawar’s press conference on Monday, showing MLA Dhananjay Munde shutting down questions from reporters about the law and order situation in Beed. Its comment on X read: “How long will Sunetra Pawar remain a gungi gudiya (silent doll)?”NCP politician Chhagan Bhujbal said such a comment was not expected from the Congress and said the party condemned it. “When Indira Gandhi started out in politics, people in the party would mock her as gungi gudiya. But in a short time, she broke Pakistan into two,” he said.The term gungi gudiya was first used against Indira Gandhi, the daughter of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, by socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia in 1966 when she became prime minister following the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri.Dhananjay Munde clarified that he had not tried to run the show at the press conference. “I asked her not to speak because it was not a press conference of questions and answers. Only a memorandum was being given,” he said.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis called the Congress comment “shameful”. “The Congress has descended to a very low level. They are getting no response from people and want to be in the news,” he said.Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde sought an apology. “Sunetra Pawar is Maharashtra’s first woman deputy chief minister. In 2024, they had insulted ladki bahins and they taught them a lesson. This is an insult to all the women in the state and the Congress should immediately apologise,” he saidState Congress chief Harshavardhan Sakpal defended the comment. “There is no need for an apology because it was not an insult but a political comment. Even Indira Gandhi was once called a gungi gudiya. However, through her achievements, she created an identity as Durga. Sunetratai should also demonstrate becoming a Durga through her achievements,” he said.Congress politician Prithviraj Chavan was critical of the comment. “Sunetra Pawar is actively engaged in politics and holds the responsibility of a constitutional position in the state. It is not right to speak about her in a way that lowers the level of discourse. Of course, we expect a response from her through actions as well,” he said.NCP (SP) politician Rohit Pawar said Ajit Pawar had set high expectations, “Ajitdada was an aggressive and outspoken leader and now that is the public’s expectation. But no one can be like him,” he said.
