New Delhi:

Union minister Chirag Paswan ripped into Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah over his comments on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi – the face of the military’s briefing on Operation Sindoor — on Monday, saying had anyone from his party made such a comment, he would have been expelled “for life”. The BJP ally’s comment comes amid the Supreme Court’s strong criticism of Mr Shah. Despite the massive controversy, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has rejected the opposition Congress’s demands that the Tribal Affairs minister be sacked.

“If Vijay Shah was in my party, I would have expelled him from the party for life,” Mr Paswan said. “We exist because of the army, any comment on the soldiers cannot be tolerated,” he added.

At a public event last week, Mr Shah had shockingly referred to Colonel Qureshi as the “sister of terrorists” and said a woman from the “same community” as those living in Pakistan had been sent to strip the country naked.

“You widowed sisters of our community, so a sister of your community will strip you naked. (Prime Minister) Modi ji proved that the daughters of your community can be sent to Pakistan to take revenge,” the minister had said.

On Monday, the Supreme Court rebuked the minister for his “crass comments” and Justice Surya Kant declared that he did not offer a sincere apology. 

“What is that apology? What kind of apology have you tendered? There is some meaning of apology. Sometimes people use docile language only to wriggle out of proceedings, and sometimes they shed crocodile tears. What kind of apology is yours? You want to give the impression that the court had asked you to apologise. What prevented you from making a sincere apology for your crass comments till now?” said Justice Surya Kant.

The court has ordered a new three-member team of IPS officers to investigate the matter. The team, which must have a woman officer, should be formed by Tuesday morning to investigate the case against the minister, and submit its report by May 28, the court said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, meanwhile, has said his government follows court orders and will continue to do so. He also said the Congress should first ask Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to step down over the corruption allegations against him.