Caste Row Erupts: Yogi Adityanath Condemns Samajwadi MP’s Comments on IAF Officer
A controversy has erupted in Uttar Pradesh after Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav drew criticism for his remarks linking caste to the actions of a BJP minister towards two army officers.
Yadav’s Accusation and Context
Yadav, in a recent programme, alleged that BJP minister Vijay Shah made derogatory remarks against Muslim Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi but spared IAF officer Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, assuming she was a Rajput. He claimed Shah targeted Qureshi based on her religion.
Yadav further stated that Shah wouldn’t have hesitated to make similar remarks against IAF officers like Singh or Air Marshal AK Bharti if he knew their caste identities. This comment came after a high court directive to file a case against Shah for his previous remarks against Colonel Qureshi.
To illustrate his point, Yadav identified both Singh and Bharti by caste – Singh as a Jatav from Haryana and Bharti as a Yadav from Purnia. He also highlighted that all three officers belonged to marginalized communities – backwards, Dalits, and minorities.
Yadav accused the BJP of prioritizing self-promotion over recognizing the armed forces’ contributions. He claimed that instead of celebrating the Army’s achievements, the BJP focuses on its own accomplishments.
Yogi Adityanath’s Strong Rebuke
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath strongly condemned Yadav’s remarks, terming them a grave insult to the armed forces. In a statement on X, Adityanath asserted that the Army uniform transcends caste considerations and that every soldier serves the nation without representing any specific caste or religion.
He emphasized that the Indian Army is dedicated to ‘Rashtradharma’ (national duty) and that soldiers should not be viewed through the lens of caste.
Operation Sindoor and the Officers Involved
The controversy comes in the wake of Operation Sindoor, a recent Indian strike on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (POK) as a response to the deadly Pahalgam attack. Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri were among those who briefed the nation on the operation earlier this month.
