'We Sent Daughter From Their Community': MP Minister's Remark On Colonel Sofiya Qureshi Sparks Row
After the Minister's statements, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge labeled the BJP's remarks as an insult to the armed forces and women
A Madhya Pradesh minister has sparked a political row after he made a remark on Army Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, one of the officers briefed the 'Operation Sindoor'. The development followed after the minister said that a woman from the same community as the people in Pakistan was sent to strip the country naked.
Following the statement made by the minister, the Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge, labeled the BJP's remarks as an insult to the armed forces and women, demanding that he be sacked. However, the minister clarified and stated that his remarks had been taken out of context.
While addressing people at a cultural event in Mhow aimed at promoting 'Halma' (a traditional Bhil tribal practice in Madhya Pradesh which help to a person in distress) on Tuesday, Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah said in Hindi which translate into English, "There should be 'Halma' in every hut and in every head. 'Halma' means living for others, living for society, just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing. They (referring to Pakistan) had taken away the sindoor of our sisters and daughters, and we sent their own sister to give it back to them in kind."
"They undressed Hindus and killed them, and Modi ji sent their sister to return the favour. We couldn't undress them, so we sent a daughter from their community... You widowed sisters of our community, so a sister of your community will strip you naked. Modiji proved that the daughters of your caste can be sent to Pakistan to take revenge," the minister added.
BJP minister Vijay Shah called Col Sofia Qureshi the sister of Pakistani terrorists.
— Mohit Chauhan (@mohitlaws) May 13, 2025
BJP leaders are back to their basics with their cheap mentality. pic.twitter.com/PXycOoyTib
The audience, which included several BJP leaders on stage, responded with enthusiastic applause. Among those in attendance were Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur, MLA and former Cabinet Minister Usha Thakur, along with representatives from local panchayats and municipal authorities.
Clarifying his remarks, Vijay Shah told news agency PTI, "We respect the actions taken by the Indian forces in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. My statement has been misunderstood. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi has made the nation proud. There is no question of disrespect.”
VIDEO | Clarifying his remarks regarding Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Madhya Pradesh Minister Vijay Shah said, "We respect the actions taken by the Indian forces in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. My statement has been misunderstood. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi has made the nation… pic.twitter.com/r6YNiQhJeP
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 13, 2025
Mallikarjun Kharge Criticises Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister's Remarks
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the minister’s remarks about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, calling them “insulting, disgraceful, and indecent,” and demanded that Prime Minister Modi immediately remove him from his position.
Kharge also highlighted the online abuse faced by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his daughter, as well as Himanshi Narwal, the wife of 26-year-old Navy officer Vinay Narwal, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, after she appealed for people not to target Muslims or Kashmiris. He attributed such attacks to the "BJP-RSS mentality."
"The terrorists of Pahalgam wanted to divide the country, but the country was united throughout 'Operation Sindoor' in giving a befitting reply to the terrorists," Kharge wrote in a post on X in Hindi.
भाजपा की मध्य प्रदेश सरकार के एक मंत्री ने हमारी वीर बेटी कर्नल सोफिया क़ुरैशी के बारे में बेहद अपमानजनक, शर्मनाक और ओछी टिप्पणी की है।
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) May 13, 2025
पहलगाम के आतंकी देश को बाँटना चाहते थे, पर आतंकवादियों को मुंहतोड़ जवाब देने में पूरे ‘ऑपरेशन सिंदूर’ के दौरान देश एकजुट था।
BJP-RSS की…
"The mentality of BJP-RSS has always been anti-women. First, they trolled the wife of the naval officer martyred in Pahalgam on social media, then harassed the daughter of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and now BJP ministers are making such indecent comments about our braveheart Sofiya Qureshi. Modi ji should immediately dismiss the minister," he said.
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari also condemned the statement made by the minister against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. He demanded clarification from the CM Mohan Yadav, stating that Vijay Shah should be dismissed right now.
"The Indian Army, in just 25 minutes, destroyed nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. The Indian Army said in its press conference that more than 40-45 people of the Pakistani army were killed, and many terrorists also died...But today a cabinet minister of the BJP, Vijay Shah, spoke in such a derogatory manner against those daughters who made the Pakistani army tremble...CM Mohan Yadav will now have to clarify whether the entire cabinet agrees with this statement and if the BJP does not agree, then Vijay Shah should be dismissed right now, " he said, news agency ANI reported.
#WATCH | Bhopal: On MP Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah's objectionable remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari says "The Indian Army, in just 25 minutes, destroyed nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. The Indian Army said in its press conference that… https://t.co/HX3FulzsuO pic.twitter.com/vP88UGt8Ay
— ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2025
ALSO READ | Colonel Sofiya Qureshi Studied In MP Govt School From Class 1 To 3
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