MP minister Pratima Bagri defends Vijay Shah amid outrage over his Colonel Qureshi remark

Pratima Bagri

Pratima Bagri, a minister and BJP MLA in Madhya Pradesh, has come out in support of her party colleague Vijay Shah, after the Supreme Court on Thursday directed him to personally apologise to Indian Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi for his controversial remarks.

Bagri accepted that Shah's remarks were inappropriate. However, she emphasised that Shah has already apologised to Colonel Qureshi and is ready to do so again if needed. "He has issued a clarification and expressed regret. His intention was not to insult anyone," NDTV quoted her as saying.

Shah’s remarks, made during a public speech in Raikunda village, Indore, on May 12, have triggered widespread outrage. Speaking at the government function, the BJP leader brought up Operation Sindoor and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent a ‘sister from the same community’ as those in Pakistan to avenge the April 22 terror strike in Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

“Modi ji is striving for the society. Those who widowed our daughters in Pahalgam, we sent a sister of their own to teach them a lesson,” Shah said.

Critics, including Opposition leaders, military veterans, and even some within the BJP, have called out the comments as sexist, communal, and disrespectful towards Colonel Qureshi.

An FIR has been filed against him, and the Supreme Court has refused to stop the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order to initiate criminal proceedings. The court also denied him interim protection from arrest.

Defending her colleague, Bagri said, "The words used in his statement were inappropriate. He has also issued a clarification saying what he meant was different. Certainly, there has been a misrepresentation of words, but there was no intent to insult anyone," the Minister of State for Urban Development and Housing said.

"He has clearly apologised for it. If he has to apologise repeatedly depending on the situation, he is ready to do so, which also shows that he did not intend to offend anyone. The statement was presented incorrectly. It was shown in a wrong way, for which minister Vijay Shah has already apologised," NDTV quoted Bagri as saying.