The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday clarified that it has no plans to use Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as party’s campaign faces.
The clarification came after a media report claimed that Col Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh, who led India's press briefings on Operation Sindoor, will be the faces of an ambitious women-centric campaign to be rolled out by the BJP on June 9, the completion of 11 years of the Modi government.
“This is fake news,” BJP IT department head Amit Malviya wrote on X. “The BJP has no plans to use either Col Sofiya Qureshi or Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as campaign faces,” he asserted.
Malviya further said that comments made by BJP Minority Morcha president Jamal Siddiqui in the media report have been misconstrued.
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“The comments made by BJP Minority Morcha president Jamal Siddiqui have been misconstrued. He simply made a limited point about highlighting Col Qureshi as an example of an empowered Muslim woman within the community,” Malviya said.
Who are the two officers
Colonel Qureshi and IAF Wing Commander Vyomika Singh held a media briefing during India's cross-border strikes under Operation Sindoor, along with foreign secretary Vikram Misri.
{{/usCountry}}Colonel Qureshi and IAF Wing Commander Vyomika Singh held a media briefing during India's cross-border strikes under Operation Sindoor, along with foreign secretary Vikram Misri.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | Who is Col Sofiya Quraishi? Top army officer leading ‘Operation Sindoor’ presser
Earlier this week, the family of Colonel Sofiya Qureshi were among the many that attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Vadodara, Gujarat.
Taj Mohammad and Halima Qureshi, Colonel Qureshi's parents, were among the crowd at the Vadodara roadshow. Speaking to news agency PTI, Mohammed praised his daughter, Colonel Qureshi and stated that she has now been elevated to the "daughter of the nation."
"It felt great (roadshow of PM Modi). We are proud that PM Modi met us. Sofiya Qureshi is the daughter of the country, she only did her duty,' he said.
Furthermore, her mother, Halima Qureshi, praised Operation Sindoor for taking "revenge of our sisters' sindoor"
Shyna Sunsara, Colonel Qureshi's twin sister was also at the roadshow. ". When your sister does something for the country, it inspires not only me but others as well. She is no longer just my sister but the country's sister as well," she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.