Congress asks President to dismiss Madhya Pradesh government for reportedly shielding Minister who made remarks against Colonel Qureshi
M.P. Minister Vijay Shah had implied that the Indian army officer was a “sister” of the Pahalgam terrorists; media reports claim M.P. Cabinet decided not to grant sanction for Mr. Shah’s prosecution
The Madhya Pradesh Congress Party has harshly criticized the BJP government in the state following reports that the government has refused to allow the prosecution of State Minister Vijay Shah for derogatory remarks he made about Indian Army Colonel Sofia Qureshi. The Congress Party's chief in the state, Jitu Patwari, has written to President Droupadi Murmu, asking her to dismiss the Madhya Pradesh government for allegedly interfering with the judicial process and shielding Mr. Shah from accountability.
Patwari's letter questions whether those in power are above the law and raises serious constitutional concerns. The Supreme Court had previously given the state government a deadline to decide on the Special Investigation Team's request for sanction to prosecute Mr. Shah after an FIR was filed by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The Congress Party's attack comes after a Hindi daily reported that the decision not to prosecute Mr. Shah was taken during a State Cabinet meeting on August 25, 2026.
However, the Congress Party disputes this claim and alleges that the decision was influenced by Mr. Shah's repeated apologies and his presence being removed from the meeting room. Patwari further alleges that the entire Madhya Pradesh Cabinet has now "passed a resolution" to defend Mr. Shah, suggesting that the government has been politically influenced. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for August 31, 2026.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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