Resignation of Madhya Pradesh minister, slammed for remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, not on the cards

Calls for resignation of Shah, a Tribal Affairs Minister, grew after his controversial remarks against Colonel Qureshi, who was one of the three to lead the media briefings on Operation Sindoor, caused a massive uproar.

The Chief Minister said as quoted by The Indian Express, "All I want to say on this issue is that the honourable court has given its order and our government has followed the decision. We will keep walking on the path set by the court. Congress should ask for the resignation of Siddaramaiah.

"Most of the Congress ministers have cases against them. The Congress can only make statements. Congress had supported AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. He was a chief minister who went to jail; where was the Congress at the time? Congress doesn’t have the right to speak on this issue. Nobody has crossed the limits of shamelessness like the Congress party."

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai called Shah's comments "unacceptable" and "insensitive" and asked the leader from the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to give restrained speeches.

"What sort of comments are you making? You should show some sense of sensibility. Go and apologise in High Court," Justice Gavai said as quoted by NDTV.

Earlier, the Madhya Pradesh High Court slammed Shah over his derogatory, communal, and sexist remarks on Colonel Qureshi and ordered a police case against him.

Taking suo motu cognizance of the matter, which has sparked massive outrage, the court directed the state police chief to file a First Information Report (FIR) against Shah.

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and another officer, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, have been the face of the Army during the media briefings on Operation Sindoor, which was launched by the Indian Armed Forces to decimate the terrorists camps in PoK and Pakistan in a retaliation against the Pahalgam terror attack.

Both Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh have frequently joined Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during the briefings.

What did the MP minister say?

Speaking at a cultural event in Mhow, Shah, who is the Tribal Affairs Minister of Madhya Pradesh, said the terrorists had "wiped the sindoor of our sisters and daughters, and we sent their own sister to give it back to them in kind".

"They stripped Hindus and killed them, and Modi-ji sent their sister to return the favour. We couldn't undress them, so we sent a daughter from their community... You widowed sisters of our community, so a sister of your community will strip you naked. Modi-ji proved that the daughters of your caste can be sent to Pakistan to take revenge," the minister had added.

His comments were made before an audience that included Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur, MLA and former Cabinet minister Usha Thakur, and several local leaders of the BJP.

The comments were condemned by the army veterans and the Opposition parties. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had called for his sacking.