 She was the second woman President of the Sammelan, after Kusumavati Deshpande since its inception in 1878.Durgabai publicly opposed the state of Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi and the arrest of Jaiprakash Narayan and was jailed by the government.After the emergency was lifted, she campaigned against the ruling Congress Party in the 1977 general election, and remained opposed to it for the rest of her life.