Maharashtra Congress Calls Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar 'Mute Doll'

The Maharashtra Congress sparked a political controversy on August 4, 2026, by labeling Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar a "gungi gudiya" (mute doll) in a social media post. The post included a video from a July 31 press conference in Beed, showing Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dhananjay Munde shielding Pawar from a journalist's question regarding the district's law and order situation.

Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal defended the term, stating it was political criticism rather than a personal attack. Sapkal argued that Pawar's silence regarding the media and governance issues, including a plane crash involving her late husband, Ajit Pawar, warranted the description. He noted that while former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was once dismissed with the same slur, she proved her leadership through achievements.

The NCP, Shiv Sena, and BJP condemned the remark as an insult to women. NCP members staged protests in Mumbai, arguing that the Congress was endorsing a slur previously used against Indira Gandhi. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accused the Congress of stooping low to gain headlines, while Deputy CM Eknath Shinde called the remark an insult to all women in the state. Dhananjay Munde responded by asserting that Pawar's future work would outperform her critics.