After Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah’s controversial remarks, Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav has ignited fresh controversy by alleging that a BJP minister targeted Army Colonel Sofiya Qureshi because of her religion, while sparing IAF Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, mistakenly believing her to be from an upper-caste background.
Speaking at a public event in Moradabad, Yadav accused the BJP of double standards and claimed that its ministers were unaware of the caste identities of other senior officers. “They didn’t know who Vyomika Singh was, nor Air Marshal A.K. Bharti—otherwise, they might have gone after them too,” he said.
He further added, “Vyomika Singh is a Jatav from Haryana, and Air Marshal Bharti is a Yadav from Purnia. All three—Colonel Qureshi, Wing Commander Singh, and Air Marshal Bharti—belong to the PDA (Picchda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) community. One was attacked for being Muslim. Another was spared, assuming she was Rajput. And the third, they didn’t have information about.”
Yadav also questioned the motive behind the BJP’s ongoing Tiranga Yatra, suggesting it was an election-driven campaign rather than a genuine show of patriotism. “If national pride is the goal, take all parties and citizens into confidence,” he said.
Reactions from BJP, BSP Leaders
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condemned Yadav’s remarks, calling them “narrow-minded” and “an insult to the honour and identity of the Indian Army.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he stated: “The uniform of the armed forces is not seen through a casteist lens. Every soldier serves the nation, not any caste or religion.”
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya echoed similar sentiments, stating that the army’s only duty is the “defense of the country,” and criticizing any attempt to view it through a caste or religious lens as “low mentality.”
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also rebuked both the BJP and SP, asserting that it was wrong to judge or divide the armed forces by caste or religion at a time when the country is united in pride over Operation Sindoor. “It’s shameful and condemnable that both parties have made the same mistake,” she said.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri were the key officials who led briefings on the successful Operation Sindoor. The mission, which targeted terror infrastructure across the border, has drawn widespread national acclaim.
