Bhopal: In April 2013, Kunwar Vijay Shah, then tribal affairs minister in the Madhya Pradesh government under Shivraj Singh Chouhan, was in the headlines for making several sexist and objectionable remarks against women, including the chief minister’s (CM) wife.
Worse, Shah had made the objectionable comments about Chouhan’s wife Sadhna Singh and BJP functionary Nirmala Bhuria while addressing tribal girls at a summer camp in Jhabhua district.
Such was the furore over his comments that it prompted Shah to resign from the BJP-led state cabinet. However, just four months later, in August 2013, Shah was reinstated during a cabinet expansion. A probe by his party led by then state president Narendra Singh Tomar had cleared him of wrongdoing, it was reported. The episode highlighted the political heft of Shah.
A decade later, Shah—who has remained a cabinet minister since 2003 barring a few years in between—is once again in the spotlight, this time for communal remarks.
At a speech in Mhow earlier this week, he said India had taught a lesson to those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack using “their own sister”. It was understood that he was referring to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who had briefed the public on Operation Sindoor.
The remarks drew outrage and condemnation across party lines forcing Shah to issue an apology on ‘X’. Madhya Pradesh BJP president V.D. Sharma summoned him to his residence and, according to party sources, issued a stern warning. Protests broke out across the state, with the Congress workers burning Shah’s effigies.
State Congress chief Jitu Patwari along with party workers landed at Bhopal’s Shyamla Hills police station demanding an FIR, but was sent away with the police taking cognisance of their written complaint Wednesday.
Sharma sidestepped questions from the media about Shah’s resignation. “The BJP has sensitive leadership. If such incidents happen, immediate discussions are held. The central leadership has taken note. That sister is a daughter of the country, and those who work under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership are a matter of pride for us,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Madhya Pradesh High Court took suo motu cognisance of Shah’s remarks and directed the police to register a case against him.
Sources in the BJP said national president J.P. Nadda has sought a report from Sharma, and the state unit is now awaiting instructions from the central leadership.
When asked if there would be action against Shah, a senior BJP leader told ThePrint: “With the high court taking cognisance of the matter and ordering an FIR, something is certain to follow.”
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Shah’s political career & influence
Kunwar Vijay Shah, a descendant of the Raj Gond tribal royal family of Makrai princely state, has over time become the BJP’s most prominent tribal face in Madhya Pradesh. According to the 2011 Census, the Gonds—numbering over 43 lakh—form the second-largest tribal community in Madhya Pradesh.
Shah first contested elections in 1990 and has since won eight consecutive terms as MLA from Harsud. His first cabinet berth came in 2003 in the Uma Bharati government when he was made the culture minister, followed by stints as tribal affairs minister (2008–2013), school education minister (2013–2018), and forest minister post-2020, after the BJP returned to power in Madhya Pradesh.
Following BJP’s win in the 2023 assembly elections, Shah was given three portfolios: tribal affairs, public asset management, and Bhopal Gas Tragedy relief & rehabilitation.
Shah’s wife Bhawna Kushwaha has earlier served as mayor of Khandwa, and his son Divyadita is a member of Khandwa zila panchayat.
With 47 of 230 assembly seats reserved for tribals in Madhya Pradesh and another 30 where tribal votes are believed to play a decisive role, Shah’s role as a tribal leader is strategically vital to the BJP. In 2018, tribal consolidation behind the Congress led to a significant loss for the BJP, which saw its tribal seat count drop from 31 in 2013 to just 16 that year.
“Of the 230 assembly seats, nearly 73 are influenced by tribal votes,” said Prof Yatindra Sisodia, director at Madhya Pradesh Institute of Social Science Research, to ThePrint.
“While Shah’s influence outside his constituency is debatable, within BJP circles, he remains one of the most visible tribal faces—particularly in western Madhya Pradesh where voting patterns often fluctuate.”
Sisodia added that Shah’s political seniority and tribal identity have secured him a privileged status in the BJP, even as he continues to be a source of discomfort to the party with his several controversial remarks.
Shah’s previous controversies
In 2020, while serving as forest minister, Shah was accused of halting the shoot of the film ‘Sherni’, starring Vidya Balan, reportedly after she declined an invitation to dine with him. Shah denied the allegation, claiming it was Balan’s team that had invited him and that he had declined due to scheduling conflicts.
Three years later, in December 2023, principal conservator of forests, Aseem Shrivastav, had to order a probe after a video surfaced showing a person said to be Shah partying inside a tiger reserve with forest guards cooking nearby. The incident came to light with wildlife activist Ajay Dubey registering a complaint against Shah.
In 2017, as school education minister in Chouhan’s cabinet, Shah in a bid to instil patriotism in school children had ordered school students in Satna district to respond to roll calls with Jai Hind, instead of “yes, ma’am”.
Sisodia said: “Over the past few months, the BJP has offered its leaders a long rope when it comes to inflammatory remarks—be it Pritam Singh Lodhi, or Chintamani Malviya. The question now is: will it make an exception in Shah’s case?”
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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