Madhya Pradesh Minister Vijay Shah has sparked a national controversy with his recent remarks about Colonel Sofia Qureshi, one of the prominent faces of India’s military Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. His statement — implying that the Prime Minister deliberately chose a "sister from the same community" as Pakistanis to lead the retaliatory mission following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir — has been widely condemned across the political spectrum. The backlash has not been limited to political circles; both the Madhya Pradesh High Court and the Supreme Court have taken serious note of the minister’s words. The Supreme Court is set to hear the case on Monday, while the High Court has already expressed displeasure with the way the FIR was registered.
Despite the uproar, this is not the first time Vijay Shah has courted controversy. A seasoned politician, Shah has been an MLA from Harsud since 1990 and has won every election since, across changing political climates. He first became a Cabinet Minister in 2003, serving as the Culture Minister, later taking charge of the Tribal Department in 2008. He continued to hold ministerial positions in subsequent BJP governments, though he was briefly forced to resign in 2013 after a derogatory comment about the then Chief Minister’s wife, Sadhna Singh. Even then, he returned to the Cabinet within a few months, which demonstrates the strength of his political influence — especially among tribal voters.
Vijay Shah's continued rise in Madhya Pradesh politics, even after multiple controversies, can be attributed to a few key factors. First, he belongs to the influential Rajgond subcaste of the Gond tribal community. The Rajgonds are considered the highest subcaste within the Gond group, and Shah is seen as a true representative of this community. With Madhya Pradesh having a tribal population of around 1.6 crore — 56 lakh of whom are Gond tribals — his presence holds significant electoral value. In fact, Gond tribals make up about 35.5% of the total tribal population in the state, and there are 47 assembly seats reserved for tribal candidates. Shah's family also wields considerable influence in tribal regions such as Harda, Khandwa, Burhanpur, and Betul. His brother Sanjay Shah was a former MLA from Timarni, and his nephew Abhijit Shah currently serves as a Congress MLA from the same constituency, underscoring the family's deep political roots.
Bhopal-based political journalist Nitendra Sharma points out that Shah’s electoral strength in tribal areas has made the BJP cautious in taking any direct disciplinary action against him. Even in years when the BJP lost power, such as 1993, 1998, and 2018, Shah still managed to win his seat, highlighting his personal appeal. The BJP may fear that if Shah is forced to resign or made to step aside, it could lead to discontent in tribal regions and weaken the party’s grip over this crucial voter base.
Moreover, the BJP appears wary of handing the opposition any political advantage. Past instances show that while the party has taken action against controversial leaders like Akash Vijayvargiya and Pragya Singh Thakur, it has been more reserved when it comes to Vijay Shah. In 2013, despite being forced to resign, he was brought back into the Cabinet within months — an indication of how indispensable he is to the party’s tribal strategy.
There is also a concern within the BJP that if Shah were to resign in protest — especially under pressure from legal or political scrutiny — it could trigger a backlash among tribal voters. His departure would not only cost the party a powerful tribal face but also potentially weaken its hold on multiple tribal-dominated constituencies. The optics of disciplining a senior tribal leader in the middle of election calculations may be seen as too politically risky.
As the Supreme Court prepares to hear the case, the controversy has once again highlighted the fine line the BJP must walk — balancing the need to uphold political accountability with the realities of caste and community-driven electoral politics. Whether Vijay Shah’s influence will shield him again, or if this incident will finally force the party to take stronger action, remains to be seen.
