‘Would have been expelled for life': Union Minister Chirag Paswan on MP BJP leader's remarks on Col Sofiya Qureshi

Union Minister Chirag Paswan has slammed Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah over his remarks about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, one of the faces during the press briefings on Operation Sindoor earlier this month.

Paswan 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 Member of Parliament (MP) was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Assembly elections in Bihar are scheduled later this year.

Supreme Court forms SIT

Notably, Chirag's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is an ally of the BJP. Paswan is the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries in Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led cabinet.

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. The top court on 19 May formed a Special Investgation Team (SIT), comprising three senior Indian Police Services officers, including a woman officer, who are from outside Madhya Pradesh, to probe state minister Vijay Shah’s remarks.

What did Vijay Shah say?

MP Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah had on May 12 purportedly termed Col Qureshi, a “sister of terrorists”, during his public speech on the Indian Army operations against Pakistan.

An FIR was registered against Shah in Indore district later on May 14 following an order from the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

The FIR was registered under Sections 152 (acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India), 196 (1)(b) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, language, or other similar characteristics) and 197(1)(c) (statement or action that causes or is likely to cause disharmony, enmity, or hatred between different groups) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS).

(With inputs from Agencies)