Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Maharashtra's women and child development minister, has proposed a new term, "Ganga Bhagirathi," to honour widowed women. On Wednesday, he wrote a letter to the Principal General expressing this idea, and the letter has since gone viral on social media. However, some social and women activists have criticized Lodha's suggestion, including Shiv Sena deputy leader Sushma Andhare.
Sushma Andhare criticized Mangal Prabhat Lodha, stating that he should focus on how widowed women can have the moral right to live in society instead of proposing a new term to honour them. Andhare further added that the decision of what to name and what not to use for widowed women should be left to the women themselves and she advised Lodha not to overburden himself with unnecessary responsibilities.
Sushma Andhare expressed concern about insensitive remarks being made towards women, particularly from members of the BJP and the Shinde faction. She urged the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to take these statements seriously, as they too have women in their households.