MP Minister Criticized for Remarks on Colonel

Vijay Shah, the Tribal Affairs Minister of Madhya Pradesh, finds himself engulfed in controversy once again, this time for inflammatory remarks about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, prompting the MP High Court to order police action against him. Shah has a history of controversial comments. In April 2013, he was forced to resign from his ministerial post after making inappropriate remarks about the wife of former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during a public event in the Jhabua district. The incident sparked a political uproar, as highlighted by Abhay Tiwari, the state Congress general secretary in-charge of media and research. The latest incident occurred at a public function in Indore district, where Shah allegedly referred to Colonel Qureshi, notable for her role in Operation Sindoor, as the “sister of terrorists.” The MP High Court took suo motu cognisance, with Justices Atul Shridharan and Anuradha Shukla reprimanding Shah for his “dangerous” and “scurrilous” remarks, which they deemed disparaging towards the armed forces. The bench ordered an FIR to be filed against him. Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta criticized Shah and the BJP, questioning the silence of the party in light of Shah’s comments, which he described as using the "language of the gutter." Gupta recalled another instance in November 2020, when Shah, then the forest minister, allegedly incited a row by inviting actress Vidya Balan for dinner during the shooting of the film "Sherni" in Balaghat district. After the actress reportedly declined, the film crew faced hurdles from Shah's department, although Shah maintains he refused an invitation for lunch/dinner. Despite the controversies, Shah remains a popular figure in his constituency, consistently winning the Harsud (ST) seat since 1990. However, the recent incident has drawn sharp criticism. State Congress chief Jitu Patwari has called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demand Shah's resignation, while Congress leader Digvijaya Singh likened Shah's mentality to that of the “BJP's troll army” and urged for a clarification from the PM regarding the appropriateness of Shah's comments. In response, Shah expressed willingness to apologize multiple times if his remarks caused offense, stating he respects Colonel Qureshi as much as he does his own sister.