AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): BJP Huzur MLA Rameshwar Sharma’s remark that “If you fire a missile from Karond Square, it should land in Qazi Camp,” a Muslim-majority area of Bhopal, sparked outrage, following which Sharma clarified that he was referring to Qazi Camp in Islamabad, not Bhopal, while Congress leaders said no such place exists in Islamabad.
The remark was made during a Matki Phod (pot-breaking) competition at Bhagat Singh Square in Karond, Bhopal, on Sunday night, where Sharma said, “If you fire a missile from Karond Square, it should land in Qazi Camp.”
During the event, Sharma spoke about Hindu unity, nationalism and terrorism. He said Hindu unity should extend beyond Matki Phod competitions and called on society to remain united at every level.
Referring to Pakistan, he said Matki Phod competitions would one day also be held in Lahore, Dhaka and Islamabad. He then asked the gathering whether they wanted to break a matki in Islamabad and said they would first have to break the “matki” there.
Sharma also appealed to Hindus not to remain divided along caste lines, urging people to identify themselves as Hindus and Indians before their caste identities. He said those committed to the country should be respected and described loyalty to the motherland as every citizen’s duty.
Following the remark, Sharma claimed that he was referring not to Qazi Camp in Bhopal but to a place by that name in Islamabad.
“I did not refer to Qazi Camp here; I referred to the one in Islamabad,” Sharma said, speaking about India’s military strength and surgical strikes in the context of strong action against terrorism.
Qazi Camp is a predominantly Muslim locality in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, located in the older part of the city around the New Kabadkhana area.
Madhya Pradesh Congress state spokesperson Rahul Raj called it the “true double character of the BJP and RSS.”
“On one side, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat ji says, ‘A Hindu who hates Muslims cannot be a Hindu at all,’ while on the other side, a BJP MLA from Bhopal talks about firing missiles at Qazi Camp. This is the true double character of the BJP and RSS,” he said.
Congress media coordinator Abbas Hafiz questioned the clarification and said he could not find any place called Qazi Camp in Pakistan through internet searches.
He asked which Qazi Camp Sharma had been referring to.
Hafiz also condemned the remark, saying it was inappropriate to speak on a public platform about dropping a missile on an area such as Qazi Camp in Bhopal. He asked Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to clarify the government’s position on the statement and whether any action would be taken against the BJP MLA.
AICC Minority Department in-charge for Chhattisgarh Dr Aminul Khan Suri criticised Sharma’s remark, saying, “Firing a ‘missile’ from Karond Chauraha to land on Qazi Camp is not bravery in any language, but an utterly irresponsible and inflammatory mindset of a public representative.”
Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Asad Uddin Kurwai said, “An FIR should be immediately registered against this inflammatory speech that spoils communal harmony.”
Describing it as “inflammatory speech” that could disturb communal harmony, journalist Kalpesh Raval said, “There is no Qazi Camp in Islamabad,” and called for an FIR.
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