Shah, often in the news for all the wrong reasons, made the remark at a public gathering in Madhya Pradesh. The statement is yet another addition to his long list of offensive remarks against women. Col Qureshi, who along with Wing Commander Singh became the face of Operation Sindoor, was the latest target of Shah’s verbal tirade.
During his speech, Shah drew a connection between the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 people dead, and Operation Sindoor
. 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.
Following his latest comment on Col Qureshi, Shah attempted damage control by telling journalists he was willing to apologise. “Sister Sofiya 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.
He claimed he would never disrespect a soldier since he belongs to a family of martyrs and servicemen. However, a fact-check by News18 India revealed that no one from Shah’s family has served in the armed forces.
The BJP and RSS have since reprimanded Shah for his statement. He was pulled up by state BJP president VD Sharma and state general secretary Hitanand Sharma. Party sources suggested Shah may once again be removed from his cabinet position.
The Congress has taken a strong stand against Shah’s comment. Several leaders have changed their display pictures on social media to Col Qureshi’s photo in a show of solidarity. Protests are being planned across Harda and Madhya Pradesh.
Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh condemned Shah’s remarks, stating, “The entire nation is proud of Col Sofiya and is applauding her for the way she represented the Indian Army during Operation Sindoor. But politicians like Vijay Shah are making such statements because they believe it brings them attention and promotion within their party. This is not the first time he has made a derogatory, divisive, and objectionable comment. I urge the BJP leadership to take strong action against him.”
Shah, who hails from the Harda region and claims to belong to a royal tribal family, is facing fierce backlash across the country, particularly from citizens in Madhya Pradesh, his own constituency and Harda. Various citizen groups in Harda have called for his sacking and urged all political parties to deny him future tickets.
This isn’t the first time that Shah has stirred controversy. In 2013, while serving as a minister in the Madhya Pradesh cabinet, he made a derogatory statement about Sadhana Singh Chauhan, wife of then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Though reprimanded and removed from his post at the time, Shah was fielded by the BJP in subsequent elections, securing tickets in both 2018 and 2023 state polls. A sitting eight-time MLA, Shah’s political career appears unaffected by his repeated misconduct.
Shah has also made several objectionable remarks about Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over the years.
