Operation Sindoor: HC orders case against MP minister Vijay Shah for remarks on Col Sofia Qureshi
Colonel Sofia Qureshi addresses a press conference in New Delhi | AP
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday ordered to file a case against state minister and BJP leader Vijay Shah for allegedly making objectionable remarks on Colonel Sofia Qureshi of the Indian Army.
Addressing a gathering in Ramkunda village near Indore, Shah, the tribal affairs minister, reportedly called Col Qureshi as the sister of terrorists.
"They (terrorists) 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. They made our sisters widows, so Modiji sent the sister of their community to strip them and teach them a lesson", the BJP leader said while addressing a gathering in Ramkunda village near Indore.
Col Qureshi, along with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, had conducted regular press briefing, sharing details of the Operation Sindoora launched by Indian armed forces against the terrorist hubs in Pakistan.
"Revenge was taken for the honour of our country (India), respect, and for the (slain) husbands of our sisters by sending a sister from your (terrorists') community to Pakistan,” Singh said.
As his remarks sparked off a storm, Shah said if anyone is hurt by his statement, he is ready to apologise ten times, adding that he respects Colonel Qureshi more than his sister.
The Congress, however, staged protests and demonstrations against the minister demanding his ouster from the cabinet.
"Shah has made a very objectionable statement about a woman army officer. We demand that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav should immediately remove him from the cabinet," said Indore Congress president Surjit Singh Chaddha.
As the controversy raged, BJP jumped into damage control with senior party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi condemning his remarks and terming him a “fool”.
"Kuch log josh mein hosh khone ke aadi ban gaye hain (Some people have become habitual of losing sense in enthusiasm)," he added.
India