Col Sofiya Qureshi remarks: Would've expelled Vijay Shah for life from my party, says Chirag

Deploring Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah's Indian Army Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Monday asserted that had the BJP leader been in his party, "he would have been expelled for life".

The LJP (RV) president and BJP ally, 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, the LJP (RV) is part of the BJP-led NDA coalition at the Centre.

Shah, the Madhya Pradesh tribal affairs minister, stoked controversy by describing Col Sofiya Qureishi — who became a household name nationwide as she conducted daily media briefings about India's recent military action in Pakistan codenamed Operation Sindoor — the "sister of terrorists", though he did not mention her by name.

Completely unpardonable.
These pseudo nationalists have no respect for our brave armed forces.
Will @PMOIndia & @JPNadda take action against this bjp minister? https://t.co/I27vBte8cd

— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) May 13, 2025

While the BJP is yet to take any action against Shah, who has since been claiming his remark was a "slip of the tongue" and seeking forgiveness from virtually anyone who will listen, the Madhya Pradesh minister has drawn flak from NDA partners as well as opponents.

has also been taken of his remarks by the Supreme Court, which 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 while staying his arrest.

On 14 May, a division bench of Jabalpur High Court took suo motu cognizance of Shah's statement and to be lodged against him by 6.00 pm the same day.

In their order, Justices Atul Sridharan and Anuradha Shukla directed the state's director-general of police to lodge the FIR 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).

With PTI inputs