‘Sister Of Terrorists’: MP Minister Sparks Row Over Controversial Remarks On Col Sofiya Qureshi

Last Updated:May 14, 2025, 06:21 IST

BJP’s Kunwar Vijay Shah attracted the ire of Congress leaders by calling Colonel Sofiya Qureshi a “sister of terrorists”. He later apologised and said his remarks were distorted.

BJP leader Kunwar Vijay Shah’s remarks on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi sparked backlash from Congress. (PTI/X)

Madhya Pradesh Tribal Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah sparked a political row after making objectionable comments on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who became one of the most prominent faces of media briefings when India launched Operation Sindoor against terror hideouts in Pakistan, by calling her a “sister of Pakistani terrorists”.

Viral videos shared by Congress showed Shah saying, “Jinhone humari betiyon ke sindoor ujade the… humne unhiki behen bhej kar ke unki aisi ki taisi karwayi (Those who wiped the vermilion off our daughters’ forehead… we sent their sister to teach them a lesson).”

“They undressed Hindus and killed them, and Modi ji sent their sister to return the favour. Since Modi ji could not remove their clothes, he sent a sister of their community to send the message that if you make the sisters of our community widows, a sister of your community will strip you naked,” he went on to say.

Shah was speaking at an event at Mhow, where several prominent BJP leaders were on stage, including Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur, as per reports.

The BJP leader’s remarks were severely criticised by the Congress, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who deemed it as an insult to the Indian Armed Forces and demanded the saffron party to sack Shah with immediate effect.

“A minister of the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh has made extremely insulting, shameful and vulgar remarks about our brave daughter Colonel Sofia Qureshi. The terrorists of Pahalgam wanted to divide the country, but the country was united throughout ‘Operation Sindoor’ in giving a befitting reply to the terrorists,” said Kharge on X.

The Congress President also lashed out at the BJP over relentless trolling of the wife of a navy officer who was killed during the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, as well as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his daughter.

‘No Religion For Army Officers’

Umang Singhar, the Leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh, said Army officers had no religion and were not identified as Hindu or Muslim. “Minister Vijay Shah’s statement on the top army officer is not only shameful but it is an insult to both the army and women. Be it an army officer or a soldier, he has no religion, he is not counted as Hindu or Muslim. They have only one religion – country,” he said.

Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “Completely unpardonable. These pseudo-nationalists have no respect for our brave armed forces. Will @PMOIndia & @JPNadda take action against this BJP minister?”

Congress leader and former MP Danish Ali also shared a video of the BJP leader’s purported remarks. “This statement is a reflection of anti-national mentality. People of the BJP find religion even in army uniforms. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi is the daughter of India, the pride of the army. The minister who is calling her ‘sister of terrorists’ is insulting the entire Indian Army. This is poisonous fanaticism,” he said.

BJP Leader Clarifies Remarks

After massive backlash online, Vijay Shah clarified his remarks. “We respect the actions taken by the Indian forces that avenged the Pahalgam terror attack in which the vermilion was wiped off the forehead of our sisters. I don’t want to say anything to those who are twisting my remarks,” he told news agency PTI.

“She (Qureshi) is a sister who has enhanced our prestige, it should not be seen in any other context. We respect her and will continue to do so,” he added.

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force were the two prominent faces of media briefings, sitting beside Foreign Secretary Misri to share details about India’s Operation Sindoor. She is a distinguished officer in the Indian Army’s Corps of Signals, a branch responsible for managing critical military communication systems.

In 2016, Colonel Qureshi made history by becoming the first Indian woman to command an Army contingent in a major international military exercise. She led a 40-member Indian team at Exercise Force 18, a multinational exercise held in Pune that focused on peacekeeping and humanitarian mine-clearing operations.

Location :

Bhopal, India, India

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