Mumbai: BJP leader and Mahayuti candidate for the Mumbadevi constituency, Shaina NC, criticized the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after Arvind Sawant, an MP from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, allegedly used a derogatory term against her, igniting controversy, media reports said.

Expressing her outrage, Shaina questioned why leaders like Priyanka Gandhi and Priyanka Chaturvedi from the MVA, which comprises Congress, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, had not condemned the remark, according to an India Today.

“I want to know the official stand of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. You target a woman, and the apology comes only after Nagpada police filed an FIR, 30 hours later,” she remarked, referring to Sawant’s apology, said the report.

She also challenged Congress candidate Amin Patel, claiming he laughed during Sawant’s comments.

"Would he react the same way if the remark was directed at a woman from his religion or community?” she asked.

Shaina stated that she had campaigned for Sawant in past elections, during which he referred to her as "ladki behen," but now he has stooped to the level of objectifying women.

“In 2014 and 2019, I was a ‘ladki behen’ (dear sister), but now I am ‘maal’? I am a daughter of Maa Mumbadevi; I will fight and I will win,” she was quoted as saying by India Today.

The situation intensified when Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut defended Sawant’s comments, asserting that no apology was necessary.

In response, Shaina stated, “If Sanjay Raut has no objection to the word 'maal', it shows his mentality,” adding, “Maal is objectification. It means you are the property of someone."

Shaina argued that the election discourse should focus on the issues facing the Mumbadevi constituency, such as the redevelopment of Kamathipura and chawls.

She questioned whether Aaditya Thackeray, who resides in Bandra and represents Worli, would also be seen as an outsider.

Meanwhile, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar commented on the issue during a speech in Baramati, advising that “one should take care while talking,” but he refrained from labelling Sawant’s remarks as a personal attack.