Under fire for Col Qureshi remarks, MP minister not present at special Cabinet meeting

But Shah, who holds the portfolios of Public Asset Management and Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation besides Tribal affairs, was not present. Shah, in fact, has not been seen at public functions ever since a controversy broke out on May 12 over his remarks on Qureshi, and did not respond to calls from The Indian Express.

“The SIT will submit its report in this case. He is under risk of losing his portfolio if any more controversies erupt and has been asked to keep a low profile from now on. The focus would also be on Shah if he turned up for the Cabinet meeting. It’s the 300th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar and the leadership wanted no unnecessary controversy,” a senior BJP leader said.

Two days after a video surfaced of him making the controversial remarks, the minister expressed regret and said he “respects Qureshi more than his sister”. But the Supreme Court Monday rejected the apology tendered by Shah for his remarks as “only a pretence to wriggle out of the consequences”, and ordered an SIT to probe the FIR filed against him.

Late on Monday, state Director General of Police Kailash Makwana constituted the SIT, led by Sagar Inspector General Pramod Verma and comprising two more IPS officers — Deputy Inspector General of the Special Armed Forces Kalyan Chakravarthy and Dindori Superintendent of Police Vahini Singh.

The directive to Shah to keep out of public limelight also comes against the backdrop of several BJP leaders in the state and at the Centre expressing their unhappiness with Shah. Even though CM Yadav has defended Shah in the aftermath of the remarks, there are some who have pulled up Shah’s comments in public. .

Union minister Chirag Paswan, of NDA constituent Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), on Monday strongly criticised Shah for his controversial remarks, saying that if Shah were a member of his party, “he would have been expelled for life”.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and Congress MLA Umang Singhar raised concerns over the impartiality of the SIT formed by the MP Police to probe Shah’s controversial remarks, claiming the officers selected “once worked under Vijay Shah”. “Is this really an investigation or a cover-up campaign?”

The Opposition leader further questioned whether the government was playing a game of hide and seek under the pretext of submitting a report to the Supreme Court. “Has the SIT’s impartiality become nothing more than a facade?” he asked.

Shah had come under fire after a video, which was shared widely, showed him making allegedly objectionable remarks against Qureshi, who gained national prominence along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh during the media briefings on Operation Sindoor.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court earlier rebuked Shah for using “language of the gutters” against Qureshi and ordered the police to register an FIR against him on the charge of promoting enmity and hatred.

The Congress continued to demand Shah’s dismissal from the Cabinet. On Tuesday, state Congress president Jitu Patwari said in a statement: “The Supreme Court and High Court have severely reprimanded Shah for his objectionable remarks about Colonel Qureshi and rejected his apology. Despite this, why has no decision been taken on Shah’s dismissal?”