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The Congress party’s “dumb doll” remark about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar has sparked a new controversy in state politics. Following the remark, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) sharply attacked the Congress party and demanded a public apology. Congress, meanwhile, defended its statement, saying it was not a derogatory term but a description of public behavior.

On Monday, the Maharashtra Congress shared a video on social media. The video allegedly showed NCP leader Dhananjay Munde responding to journalists’ questions about law and order in Beed district on behalf of Sunetra Pawar. In this context, the Congress wrote, “Sunetra Pawar, how long will you remain a mute doll?”

The post sparked a sharp reaction from political circles. On Tuesday, several NCP leaders visited the Congress office in Mumbai and protested, demanding that state Congress president Harsh Vardhan Sapkal retract his statement and apologize.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also criticized the Congress party, saying that using such language against the state’s first female deputy chief minister was an insult to women. He said the Congress party should be ashamed of its statement.

Following the controversy, Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal defended his statement. He said, “The term ‘dumb doll’ is not an insult, but rather a description of Sunetra Pawar’s public behavior.” According to him, journalists were constantly asking questions during the press conference in Beed, but the Deputy Chief Minister did not answer any of them. He alleged that a local leader present there tried to stop the journalists, yet Sunetra Pawar did not respond.

Meanwhile, NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil hit back at the Congress, asking, “If the Congress supports the term, does it also approve of the controversial past use of the term for former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ?” He said that political differences are natural in a democracy, but derogatory language directed at women does not befit any political party.

NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar also responded to the issue. He said the entire incident should be viewed in its context. According to him, when journalists were trying to ask questions, they were stopped, and the Deputy Chief Minister did not respond. However, he also noted that Indira Gandhi had been addressed with similar words in history, but she had responded to her critics with her work.

Currently, a blame game is raging in Maharashtra politics over this comment. The Congress party is justifying its statement, while the NCP, calling it an affront to women’s dignity, is insisting on an apology. This controversy could escalate further in the coming days.