NEW DELHI: Maharashtra deputy chief minister and NCP president Sunetra Pawar on Tuesday said she would give a "fitting reply" at an "appropriate time" after the Congress' state unit called her a "gungi gudiya" (mute/silent doll).“When the time comes, I will give a fitting reply,” Sunetra Pawar told reporters when asked about the Congress’ criticism.Her response came amid a political row triggered by a social media post by the Maharashtra Congress referring to her as a “gungi gudiya”, drawing sharp criticism from the NCP and its ruling alliance partners, the BJP and the Shiv Sena.NCP leaders, including the party’s working president Praful Patel, condemned the remark as “derogatory and disrespectful” towards a woman leader.In a statement, Patel called the language used against Sunetra Pawar “insulting.”“Maharashtra, which follows the progressive ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, B.R. Ambedkar and Yashwantrao Chavan, will never accept the insult of women. It is unfortunate and condemnable that the Congress has used such language against a woman leader despite the party being led by women leaders such as Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi,” the former Union minister added.

Patel demanded that the Congress immediately delete the post and issue a public apology.The controversy escalated after a group of NCP workers entered the Congress’ Gandhi Bhavan office in Mumbai and staged a protest over the post.Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal condemned the NCP workers’ action, alleging that the protesters intended to resort to violence and accusing the BJP and the police of backing them.

He, however, maintained that the Congress would continue to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s path of non-violence despite the provocation.Sunetra Pawar took over as Maharashtra deputy chief minister following the death of her husband, Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash in January. The following month, she became the NCP president, filling the vacancy created by his demise.(With PTI inputs)