Deploring Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah's remarks about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Monday asserted that had the BJP leader been in his party, "he would have been expelled for life".
The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president, who is on a tour of his home state Bihar, was replying to questions from journalists who sought his views about the episode.
"We are proud of our Army personnel. Anybody who equates them with terrorists deserves condemnation. Had such a person been in my party, he would have been expelled for life," the Hajipur MP said.
Notably, Chirag's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is an ally of the BJP.
Shah has stoked controversy by calling Colonel Sofiya Qureishi, who had briefed the media about Operation Sindoor, the "sister of terrorists".
While the BJP is yet to take any action against Shah, who has since been claiming it was a "slip of the tongue", the Madhya Pradesh minister has since drawn flak from NDA partners as well as opponents.
A grim view has also been taken of the remarks by the Supreme Court. The apex court said the "entire nation has been shamed" by Shah's utterances, in addition to ordering that the FIR lodged in this connection be probed by a three-member special investigation team.