Key points
- Colonel Sofiya Qureshi “sent by Modiji to teach Pakistanis a lesson with their own sister”: MLA
- Comments have been condemned as communal and sexist
- Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday ordered that an FIR be filed against Shah
- BJP has yet to issue an official statement on the matter
ISLAMABAD: A political storm has erupted in Madhya Pradesh and on social media after BJP MLA and state Tribal Affairs Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah was ordered to face criminal charges for his controversial remarks targeting Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a decorated officer of the Indian Army.
In a speech, which has gone viral on social media, Shah can be seen referring to Colonel Qureshi—who played a prominent role during the Indian Armed Forces’ daily briefings on Operation Sindoor—as someone “sent by Modiji to teach the Pakistanis a lesson with their own sister.”
This is a BJP MLA from Madhya Pradesh, Kunwar Vijay Shah.
In this speech referring to Colonel Sofia Qureshi , he is saying that “ Modiji sent the Pakistanis their own sister to teach them a lesson”
Colonel Qureshi made India proud, roared like a lioness for India and this the… pic.twitter.com/EBHuQ3ycvd
— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) May 13, 2025
The BJP MLA’s speech exposes the anti-Muslim face of Narendra Modi’s party and its RSS/Hindutva foundational mindset.
Communal and sexist
The comments have been condemned as communal and sexist.
“Sick, disgusting and deplorable,” says Roshan Rai, a social media user in a post on X while commenting on the speech.
According to The India Express, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday ordered that an FIR be filed against Shah under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including those dealing with promoting enmity and endangering the unity and integrity of the nation.
A division bench described Shah’s statements as “cancerous and dangerous.” They directed that the police register an FIR, emphasising the gravity of making communal insinuations about a serving officer representing India on an international platform.
BJP yet to issue an official statement
This is not the first time Shah has courted controversy. A veteran leader and an eight-time MLA, he was previously forced to resign from the state Cabinet in 2013 over controversial comments about the wife of then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
As demands grow louder for his resignation, the BJP has yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
