BJP minister under fire for comments on Indian Col Sofia Qureshi

BHOPAL: Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Vijay Shah minister recently came under fire for his comments on Colonel Sofia Qureshi, the Indian Army officer seen in Operation Sindoor’s press briefings.

When discussing India’s response to the Pahalgam attack at an event in Madhya Pradesh, Shah referred to Col Qureshi as the ‘perpetrators’ sister’ owing to the religious affiliations. In 2016, Col Qureshi became the first woman officer in India to lead a multinational military exercise, and more recently was part of press briefings regarding Operation Sindoor.

“They killed our Hindu brothers by making them remove their clothes. PM Modi ji responded by sending their sister in an Army plane to strike them in their houses,” Vishay was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

Following backlash over the remarks, Shah claimed that his comments had been misinterpreted, and implying that they were not communal in nature.

“I want to tell people that my speech is not in that context,” Shah said, adding later that if he hurt anyone with his remakrs, he is ready to apologise ten times over, and that he respects Col Qureshi more than his own sister.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stated that Shah should be dismissed immediately, writing on X that “a minister of the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh has made a very derogatory, shameful and cheap remark about our brave daughter Colonel Sofia Qureshi.”

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Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee president Jitu Patwari also chimed in, stating that “[Shah] used such cheap words for our daughters, Mohan Yadavji should clarify if his entire cabinet and BJP agree with Shah’s remarks, and if not, Vijay Shah should be immediately removed from the post.”

Shah was later summoned to the state headquarters in Bhopal where the BJP’s Madhya Pradesh general secretary, Hitanand Sharma, reportedly reprimanded him.

Previous controversies

This isn’t the first time Shah has fallen into controversy over his comments on women. In 2013, Shah resigned over sexist remarks he made in reference to Sadhna Singh, the wife of then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan, when addressing summer camp in the Jhabhua district.

“Bhabhiji, why don’t we go out sometime? You go out with bhai-sahab every day, once in a while accompany the brother-in-law too,” Shah allegedly said.

Another controversy dates back to 2010, when Shah allegedly organised a belly dance show near a holy shrine in Malgaon. More recently, he has been accused in of using government funds on a birthday party.

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