Lie big, apologise small: Times of India issues apology for publishing fake news that BJP would use Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as campaign faces
On 2nd June 2025, the Times of India issued an apology for publishing fake news that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) was planning to make Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh the face of its campaign.
In its Lucknow and Chennai editions, the leading Indian newspaper had published a report headlined, “Col Qureshi, Wg Cdr Vyomika set to be BJP campaign’s faces”.
The TOI in its tiny “correction” inserted on one corner said that although the report was based on a conversation with the National President of the BJP Minority Morcha, Jamal Siddiqui, the newspaper should have checked with the party’s central leadership.
“Correction: TOI’s June 1 editions of Lucknow and Chennai carried a report, headlined ‘Col Qureshi, Wg Cdr Vyomika set to be BJP campaign’s faces’. We have since gathered that BJP does not have such a plan. Though the report was based on a conversation with Jamal Siddiqui, national president of BJP Minority Morcha, we should have checked with the party’s central leadership. We apologise for the lapse,” the TOI stated.
In the article in question, the Times of India misreported BJP Minority Morcha leader Jamal Siddiqui’s statement about highlighting Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as role models for women, especially for the Muslim community, as BJP’s plans to make Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh as its women-centric campaign’s face.
This news was published prominently by the newspapers of Times Media Group . In this news published in Times of India, it was told that on 9th June 2025, on the completion of 11 years of Modi government, BJP will run this women-centric campaign.
The TOI report claimed that the BJP Minority Morcha has been directed by the BJP to organise such Chaupals in mosques, dargahs and other places. The Times of India report also claimed that the party wants to increase its reach among the minority community. However, the BJP had called this news completely fake.
Calling out Times of India for peddling falsehoods, the BJP stated that it has no plans to use Colonel Qureshi or Wing Commander Singh as the faces of any of its campaign.
BJP leader Amit Malviya said on X, “This is #FakeNews. The BJP has no plans to use either Col Sofia Qureshi or Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as campaign faces. The comments made by BJP Minority Morcha President Jamal Siddiqui have been misconstrued. He simply made a limited point about highlighting Col Qureshi as an example of an empowered Muslim woman within the community.”
Earlier, BJP had rejected the report of Dainik Bhaskar in which it was claimed that the party is running a campaign to send sindoor to every house. BJP had said that it has no such plan.
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