Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], May 14 (ANI): Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat on Wednesday condemned BJP Minister Vijay Shah's recent controversial comments about Colonel Sofia Qureshi, who is involved in 'Operation Sindoor'.

While speaking to ANI, Rawat demanded an apology from the BJP to Colonel Sofia Qureshi and the nation. He also insisted that Minister Shah be dismissed from his position and expelled from the party.

'Such comments were made only because Colonel Sofia Qureshi is a Muslim,' Rawat pointed out, emphasising the need for a formal apology from the government. 'This is the mindset of the BJP. Is this the official stance of the party?' he questioned.

'This is a serious matter. Such remarks against a serving officer in the Indian Army cannot be tolerated,' Rawat said, refraining from further comment on the broader military situation but emphasising that the BJP's actions spoke volumes about its internal conscience.

This comes after Kunwar Vijay Shah stirred a row with his objectionable remark on Colonel Sofia Qureshi, who briefed the media during Operation Sindoor.

Speaking at an event, Shah had said, 'Those who widowed our daughters [in Pahalgam, we sent a sister of their own to teach them a lesson.'

The state minister later apologised, expressing regret over his remark, 'I am not a God; I'm too human, and I apologise ten times.'

The minister further said, 'I am a patriotic man, and people of every community worked for the nation. If something slipped out in anger and someone felt bad, I would like to say that I am not a god but a human being. I apologise ten times for it.'

He also urged not to take his speech in a different context.

'Our Prime Minister has given a reply to those who erase the sindoor of our sisters (victims of the Pahalgam terror attack) in their language. What had happened to our sisters has been avenged in their own language. Don't take my speech in a different context. Those who are taking it in a different context, I want to tell them that it is not in that context. They are our sisters, and they have taken revenge with great strength along with the Armed forces,' the minister told ANI.

Earlier, Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad demanded Kunwar Vijay Shah's dismissal from the government over his remarks on Colonel Sofia, calling them an insult to the armed forces and the country's military history.

Speaking to reporters, Prasad said, 'The way Colonel Sofia mentioned the war is a very derogatory and low-mentality statement about her. This is not only an insult to Colonel Sofia but also to the brave soldiers of our country and the glorious history of the world.'He added, 'The Bharatiya Janata Party minister has a low mentality and low thinking. I demand that such a minister be dismissed from the government immediately. We demand from the Bharatiya Janata Party that such a leader should be expelled from the party. This is a very serious allegation.'

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai slammed Vijay Shah over his objectionable remark on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. (ANI)