‘Sister of their community’: BJP minister's remark on Colonel Sofia Qureshi
‘Sister of their community’: BJP minister's remark on Colonel Sofia Qureshi
M.U.H
14/05/202521
Madhya Pradesh minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Shah ignited a political firestorm with his controversial remarks on Colonel Sofia Qureshi, a decorated Indian Army officer who was involved in Operation Sindoor's press briefings.
Shah's comments, perceived as branding Col Qureshi a "sister of the same community as terrorists," have drawn sharp criticism from Indians.
"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 sisters of their community to strip them and teach them a lesson", PTI quoted the BJP leader as saying in a gathering.
After severe backlash over his remarks, Shah issued an apology, saying, if anyone is hurt by his statement, he is ready to apologise ten times, adding that he respects Colonel Qureshi more than his sister.
BJP reprimands minister
Amid the raging controversy, the BJP's Madhya Pradesh general secretary, Hitanand Sharma, summoned Shah to the state headquarters in Bhopal, and as per sources, he reprimanded the minister, who also met the state BJP president, Vishnu Dutt Sharma.
Speaking to reporters, Shah sought to attribute the intemperate remarks to his "disturbed" state of mind, given the brutal killing of innocent people in Pahalgam by terrorists.
He claimed many members of his family have a military background, and many were martyred.
Colonel Sofia Qureshi is an Indian Army officer. She joined the Indian Army Corps of Signals in 1999 and rose to prominence in 2016 as the first woman officer to lead a multinational military exercise.
She recently made headlines when she conducted regular press briefings, sharing details of the 'Operation Sindoor' launched by the Indian armed forces to strike terrorists.
