Minister Vijay Shah stays away from special cabinet meet in Indore
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Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister Vijay Shah, who is facing an FIR over his controversial comment referring to Colonel Sofia Qureshi as the “sister of terrorists” and mounting calls for his resignation or dismissal, was notably absent from a special cabinet meeting held at Indore’s historic Rajwada Fort on Tuesday.
As anticipated, Shah not only skipped the cabinet meeting but was also missing from the group of ministers who attended a play on the life of the 18th-century queen Devi Ahilyabai Holkar and later visited the popular Sarafa Chowpati night food market in Indore on Monday night.
Significantly, the Congress had been planning to stage a protest in Indore if Shah had participated in any of the events marking the 300th birth anniversary of the Holkar dynasty queen on Monday and Tuesday, TNIE reported.
Senior state Congress leader Bhupendra Singh had already signalled the party’s stance with a social media post on Monday, urging the Chief Minister to exclude the minister who insulted a woman Army officer from Tuesday’s special cabinet meeting. Singh highlighted that Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, the celebrated ruler being honoured, was a tireless advocate for women.
At the same time, uncertainty lingers over the political fate of Vijay Shah, an eight-time MLA, as the BJP has so far remained silent on the controversy.
The state BJP chief VD Sharma said, when asked by journalists about Shah's political future and absence from the special cabinet meeting, “Maybe he might have skipped the meeting due to some personal reasons. His matter is pending before the Supreme Court, which has constituted an SIT, comprising three IPS officers of the MP cadre who hail from outside MP. The SIT has been asked by the apex court to probe the FIR and submit its report before the Court. Whatever will be the SC’s decision on the SIT report, we’re committed to abiding by it. Since the matter is before the SC, we should not say anything on the issue,” as reported by TNIE.
The state BJP president’s remarks echoed those made recently by the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, who had responded similarly when asked about Vijay Shah’s position following the High Court’s directive to file an FIR over his controversial May 12 comment.
Despite growing calls for Shah to step down or be removed from the cabinet, the ruling party has yet to take a clear stance, fueling speculation within political circles about his current whereabouts.
Sources suggest that Shah is neither in Bhopal nor in his home district of Khandwa. There is growing speculation that he may have travelled to Delhi to consult with the BJP’s national leadership regarding his political future.
