State Congress Apologises to Sunetra Pawar Over Goongi Gudiya Remark
The Maharashtra state Congress on Saturday apologised to Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar for referring to her as "Goongi Gudiya" (silent doll) on social media, stating that the apology was made in the interest of maintaining political decency in Mumbai. State Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal told reporters that the party regrets the jibe.
The controversy stems from a video clip posted on the state Congress’s social media handle from a press conference addressed by Pawar in Beed. When journalists sought answers regarding the district's law-and-order situation, NCP MLA Dhananjay Munde shielded Pawar from taking further questions before she left the room. The Congress shared the clip with a caption asking how long Pawar would remain a silent doll.
The post triggered a swift backlash from the NCP, which reminded the Congress that the term had historically been used against former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Before offering the apology, Sapkal had defended the comment, claiming Pawar was being detrimental to democratic values by choosing not to answer media questions and allowing an MLA to silence journalists. He had also accused her of remaining silent on the demand for an investigation into the plane crash that claimed her husband's life and the state finance department not being returned to her party.
On Saturday, however, Sapkal expressed repentance, noting that he attempted to contact Pawar directly to clear up the misunderstanding but could not establish a dialogue. He stressed the importance of maintaining political decency, referencing civil discussions held during the Baramati bye-election.
State Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe confirmed that Sapkal expressed regret and stated that the matter had ended. Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan also weighed in, stating that the Congress must set the level of discourse and not stoop so low.
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule claimed the apology came swiftly after she personally contacted the Congress leadership to point out that the remark was inappropriate, leading to a statement from the party within half an hour.
