Uttar Pradesh: SP Erects Bold Hoarding Defending Colonel Sofia, Demands BJP Minister's Arrest for Communal Remark

Lucknow: A fresh round of hoarding politics broke out in Lucknow on Thursday after a large banner appeared outside the Samajwadi Party office defending Colonel Sofia Qureshi, a decorated army officer. The hoarding demanded the jailing of BJP’s Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah for his communal remarks against her.

The poster, put up by SP leader Mohammad Akhlaq, declares: “Those who roar against Pakistan are daughters of this nation. You can’t divide us on Hindu-Muslim lines.” It calls Shah’s remark an insult to the entire country, not just Sophia, and links the incident to the BJP's long history of disrespecting the military and women. Akhlaq accused Shah of linking Colonel Sofia to terrorism purely because she is Muslim. “Is this her crime? That she is a Muslim woman in uniform?” he asked, demanding Shah’s arrest and an official apology from the BJP.

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Akhlaq put up a poster at the party office demanding that the BJP apologise for its remarks about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi pic.twitter.com/5Vc53lXaCM

— IANS (@ians_india) May 16, 2025

The incident follows BJP’s attempt to twist senior SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav’s comments on Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, suggesting caste bias. Akhlaq defended Yadav, saying BJP itself routinely invokes caste, including in Parliament, as seen in Union Minister Anurag Thakur’s jibe at Rahul Gandhi.

Earlier, SP leader Pooja Shukla launched her own poster blitz across Lucknow, showing Akhilesh Yadav bowing to Dr. Ambedkar.
Slogans like “Ambedkar broke chains, Akhilesh carries the torch of justice” drew BJP ire. The party called it an insult to Ambedkar, escalating the poster feud.

Analysts view this as SP’s strategic counterattack, turning BJP’s narrative on its head by blending symbolism, caste politics, and street messaging.