Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 4: Amidst the talk of reunification of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founded by the veteran politician Sharad Pawar, a war of words has broken out between the Congress and the NCP’s Ajit Pawar faction over the opposition party’s dubbing its leader and the Maharashtra deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar as a “gungi gudiya” (a mute doll).
The remark was made during the Congress party criticising Ms Pawar’s recent public appearance triggering a sharp backlash from the NCP led by the deceased leader Ajit Pawar, a constituent of the ruling three-party Mahayuti alliance. The NCP accused the Congress of insulting women and lowering the standards of political discourse.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders on Tuesday barged into a Maharashtra Congress press conference at its Mumbai office to protest against the party’s “gungi gudiya” comment on Ms Pawar. The NCP leaders raised slogans and demanded an apology from state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal.
The issue flared up after the Congress posted a video on social media on Monday in which NCP leader Dhananjay Munde reportedly shielded Sunetra Pawar from a journalist’s question about the law and order situation in Beed district, following which the party labelled her a “gungi gudiya.”
The Maharashtra Congress had raised questions over Sunetra Pawar’s recent press conference and her visit to Beed, asking how long she would continue to remain a “gungi gudiya.” The party’s criticism was aimed at what it described as her silence on key issues during public interactions.
Responding to the Congress statement, NCP leaders said the Congress once had a distinct political culture and maintained certain standards of public discourse, but had now drifted away from its ideology and values.
The party accused the Congress of disrespecting women by using such language against a woman leader. According to NCP leaders, the choice of words reflected the Congress’ mindset and exposed its declining political standards. They also alleged that the Maharashtra Congress leadership had fallen into the wrong hands, resulting in deteriorating political language and conduct. The exchange has intensified the political confrontation between the Congress and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
Sunetra Pawar is the guardian minister of Beed district. “Sunetra Pawar, how many more days will you remain a ‘gungi gudiya‘?” the Congress stated in the post. Amid the political furore, Sapkal defended the comment. “It is not an abuse, but a description of Sunetra Pawar’s public conduct.”
Sapkal pointed out that at a press conference in Beed, journalists were continuously asking questions, but Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar did not respond to any issue. He alleged that a person present there (Dhananjay Munde) was trying to silence the journalists, but the Deputy Chief Minister did not react to that either. He said, “Is ‘gungi gudiya‘ an abuse? It is only a description and this analogy applies to Sunetra Pawar.”
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 urged the Congress to withdraw the expression and uphold the tradition of maintaining dignity and respect in public political discourse.
Another Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the Congress should be ashamed of its remarks against Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister, and called it an insult to women in the state.
Notably, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar, a close relative of Sunetra Pawar, indirectly defended the Congress’ stand, saying the context in which the statement was made was more important than the phrase itself. Referring to Sunetra Pawar’s recent press conference, Rohit Pawar pointed out that Minister Dhananjay Munde interrupted and silenced her while she was responding to a journalist’s question. He argued that had Ajit Pawar been present, he would have asked Munde to stop intervening.
According to Rohit Pawar, Sunetra Pawar should have asserted herself and prevented Dhananjay Munde from interrupting. He added that calling someone a “gungi gudiya” could be viewed both positively and negatively. “It can be seen positively because former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was also once called a ‘gungi gudiya’, but she later proved herself through her leadership,” he said.
The controversy has surfaced at a time when discussions over a possible merger between the two NCP factions continue to gain traction. Reports suggest that the issue has been discussed at the highest levels within the NDA, although no official confirmation has been made. Recently, Maharashtra minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said if and when the merger of the two NCP factions takes place, the decision would be made under the guidance of party chief Sunetra Pawar. His remarks came shortly after NCP (Sharad Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar dismissed speculation about an imminent reunification of the two factions.
