Indira Gandhi was the first female prime minister of India. She was a symbol of power. Her political background was very promising as her father was the first prime minister of independent India. In fact, as a twelve-year-old girl, she had formulated the "Monkey Brigade." It was a group of about 1,000 children who assisted the members of the Congress. The children ran errands and provided refreshments. In addition, they also gathered secret information for the congress members. However, Gandhi's political career was a controversial one. Indira failed to fulfill her pledge to alleviate poverty. To make the matters worse, the people suffered from severe droughts, poor harvests, and food shortages. Also, political unrest further tainted Gandhi's reputation. The way she handled her opponents was extremely criticized. She was said to be ill-advised by her son. While she was a hero to her supporters, she was far from beloved to her critics.

Q:-Read this sentence from the passage.
Also, political unrest further tainted Gandhi's reputation.
What does the word tainted mean in this context?
A. tarnished
B. suffered
C. transmitted
D. complicated