BJP at Shaheen Bagh: Muslim girls should aim for the Army

Indian Express

a day ago

In a move aimed at expanding its outreach into the Muslim-dominated areas of the national capital, the BJP's Minority Morcha held a 'minority chaupal' in Shaheen Bagh on Tuesday. The main purpose of this chaupal was to encourage young Muslim girls to consider careers in the Indian Army, it said.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, an Indian Army officer who garnered attention during Operation Sindoor, was repeatedly cited as a role model throughout the event. This was the BJP's first such chaupal in the Capital under a broader national campaign celebrating the first-year anniversary of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's third term in office.
The event was held in a modest hotel room in the heart of the neighbourhood that rose to national prominence during the 2020 anti-CAA protests.
'Our daughter should become strong, she should be educated, she should be independent…,' said Jamal Siddiqui, National President of the BJP Minority Morcha and chief guest at the event.
'If anyone tries to harass, scare, or intimidate her, she should be able to give a befitting reply. We have to take our daughters out of their homes and into society. They should also go to the border… and show the strength of Indian women.'
'To teach Pakistan a lesson, the leadership of (explaining) air strikes on terrorist bases was handed over to two daughters, Colonel Sophia and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, and the world has been introduced to the courage, valour and bravery of Indian women,' he added. The chaupal featured a small but engaged gathering of two women and 20 party workers, and sought to familiarise attendees with the Agniveer recruitment scheme and other opportunities in the Armed Forces. Organisers also distributed copies of the Constitution and announced a one-stop camp for registrations under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. 'This is not just about Army recruitment,' said Ashu Chaudhary, Delhi State Executive Member of the Minority Morcha and the event's coordinator. 'It's about rights, awareness, and helping women from our community imagine a future where they are leaders.'
Attendees were also handed 'data books' — kits detailing key government schemes across sectors such as education, employment, and health — with instructions to imitate similar minority chaupals in their localities and to share the data with other members of the Muslim community.
The BJP's choice of Shaheen Bagh for the pilot chaupal carries political weight. Once the epicentre of the months-long protests, led largely by Muslim women against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the neighbourhood had become a symbol of resistance — and now, as the BJP frames it, potential transformation.
'We all are sons of India. We all are citizens of India. These 11 years of the Modi government have brought light where there was darkness,' Siddiqui declared. Launching a scathing attack against the BJP's political rivals, he added, 'The Congress and AAP created that darkness. Now, it is our duty to spread awareness, take the government's message and schemes to the people.'