Cong threatens to intensify protest against Vijay Shah, demands legal action

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Congress has threatened to stage a large-scale protest against the state’s Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah following his alleged derogatory remarks about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a distinguished Indian Army officer.

Congress remains firm in its call for immediate removal and legal action against the Minister, urging the Prime Minister to “bring treason” charges against him over his alleged derogatory and offensive remarks.

On Wednesday, state Congress chief Jitu Patwari wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding Shah’s immediate removal from office. The party will also file a formal complaint against Shah at a local police station in Bhopal.

Patwari also demanded that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav clarify his position on the matter. He insisted that the Minister publicly apologise to the army officer for his remarks.

During an event in Raikunda village, Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow), Indore, on Monday, Vijay Shah made an incendiary comment, suggesting that Prime Minister Modi had appointed a “sister” of those responsible for widowing Indian women in the Pahalgam terror attack.

His statement, which referenced Operation Sindoor, was met with applause from the audience. However, the remark quickly went viral, drawing widespread criticism.

Patwari, in his comprehensive appeal, urged the Prime Minister to classify such remarks as a crime, emphasising the need for legal measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The controversy has sparked state-wide protests by Congress workers. In Indore, a local corporator announced a reward of Rs 51,000 for anyone who blackens the minister’s face, referencing Shah’s history of contentious remarks.

A few Congress workers defaced the minister’s nameplate at his official residence with black ink. In response, the minister filed a police complaint against Congress leaders.

The BJP leadership took note of the incident, with the party’s Madhya Pradesh Organisational General Secretary, Hitanand Sharma, reportedly chiding Shah. The issue gained national traction on Tuesday when Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge condemned Shah’s statement as “highly objectionable.”

Addressing the matter on his X account, Kharge described the minister’s remarks as “deeply offensive” and “inappropriate,” criticizing the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government for allowing such statements.

Kharge highlighted Colonel Qureshi’s service to the nation and referenced ‘Operation Sindoor,’ an Indian military operation that responded to terrorist threats in Pahalgam.

He accused the BJP-RSS leadership of consistently showing disregard for women, citing recent incidents of online harassment against the family members of military officers.

Other senior Congress leaders demanded that Shah be held accountable and called for his resignation. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, commissioned into the Army Signal Corps in 1994, has played a crucial role in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and Northeast India.

IANS