A minister in Madhya Pradesh triggered a row following remarks widely interpreted as an offensive reference to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, the high-ranking Indian Army officer often seen accompanying Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during press briefings on Operation Sindoor.
Vijay Shah, BJP leader and Tribal Welfare Minister, made the controversial comments during a public speech, prompting severe criticism from opposition parties and military veterans.
In a speech delivered by Mr Shah at a gathering near Indore, he appeared to equate Col Qureshi's role in the military with a communal and gendered insult aimed at Pakistan and its people. The Congress has demanded his immediate removal from the state cabinet, while Mr Shah has since attempted to defuse the situation by offering multiple apologies.
"Sister Sofhia has brought glory to India by rising above caste and religion. She is more respected than our own sister. I salute her for her service to the nation. We cannot even think of insulting her in our dreams. Still, if my words have hurt society and religion, then I am ready to apologise ten times,'' he said.
During his speech, Mr Shah drew a connection between the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead, and Operation Sindoor. Referring obliquely but unmistakably to Col Qureshi, he claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent "a sister from their [the terrorists'] community" in an Indian Air Force aircraft to "strip them of their pride" and "teach them a lesson."
"Those people (terrorists) who had wiped out the sindoor (vermilion) of our sisters (in the Pahalgam terror attack)..We avenged these 'kate-pite' people by sending their sister to destroy them. They (terrorists) killed our Hindu brothers by making them remove their clothes. PM Modi ji responded by sending their (terrorists') sister in an Army plane to strike them in their houses. They (terrorists) made our sisters widows, so Modiji sent the sister of their community to strip them and teach them a lesson," the BJP leader said.
Col Qureshi, alongside Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, has been the face of official press briefings detailing Operation Sindoor.
The Congress party termed Mr Shah's remarks "derogatory, communal and shameful." Party president Mallikarjun Kharge issued a statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Shah immediately.
"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. The terrorists of Pahalgam wanted to divide the country, but the country was united during the entire 'Operation Sindoor' to give a befitting reply to the terrorists," Mr Kharge posted on X.
Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari posted a video of Mr Shah's speech on social media and accused the BJP of endorsing "low thinking" and "hate-filled rhetoric." The state unit of the Congress described Shah's comments as an "attack on national unity, military dignity and the honour of Indian women."
