Vijay Shah, the Tribal Welfare Minister of Madhya Pradesh and senior BJP leader, is once again at the center of controversy—this time over deeply communal and gendered remarks made about Indian Army officer Colonel Sofia Qureshi.
During a public event in Manpur near Mhow, a town known for its military presence, Shah referenced “Operation Sindoor” and appeared to glorify Prime Minister Narendra Modi by implying that the government had purposefully chosen a Muslim woman officer to deliver a symbolic message to Pakistan following the deadly April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
He stated, “Modi ji is working for our society. Those who made our daughters widows—we sent one of their own sisters to deliver justice.” The audience reportedly responded with applause.
Expanding on his point, Shah added that since terrorists had allegedly identified victims based on religion before killing them in Pahalgam, Modi had chosen to retaliate in kind—by sending someone from the same community: “Modi ji couldn’t have done the same thing back. So he sent a sister from their society—so that if our sisters were widowed, one of their sisters would come and strip them of dignity.”
However, Col. Qureshi, a highly respected Indian Army officer from a military family, was not involved in the actual combat operations under Operation Sindoor. She, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, had conducted media briefings on the operation from New Delhi.
The comments immediately drew sharp criticism, especially from the Congress party. Spokesperson Abbas Hafiz condemned Shah’s statements as “an insult to women and the armed forces,” and demanded his immediate dismissal. “His words crossed all limits of decency and communalism. Vijay Shah has a pattern of targeting women,” Hafiz said.
In response to the growing backlash, Shah attempted damage control, claiming his words were being misinterpreted. “I didn’t mean anything wrong. I consider Col. Qureshi as my sister. She has answered the terrorists on our behalf,” he explained.
Shah, a political veteran with eight consecutive MLA terms since 1990, has served as a minister in multiple BJP governments. His history of controversial statements, especially involving women, is well-documented. In 2013, he faced backlash for derogatory comments about Sadhna Singh Chouhan, wife of then-Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Although he was briefly forced to resign, he was later reinstated—reportedly due to concerns over losing tribal support in western Madhya Pradesh.
This latest controversy is expected to have political ramifications for the BJP as it gears up for the next electoral season, with calls growing louder for accountability and action.
