On June 2, 2025, The Times of India issued a formal apology for publishing an inaccurate report claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intended to project Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as key faces of its election campaign.
The article, which appeared in the June 1 editions of the newspaper’s Lucknow and Chennai publications, was headlined: “Col Qureshi, Wg Cdr Vyomika set to be BJP campaign’s faces.”
In a small correction note placed inconspicuously in one corner, the newspaper admitted the report was not verified with BJP’s central leadership. The report had been based solely on a conversation with Jamal Siddiqui, National President of the BJP Minority Morcha.
Apology. https://t.co/q9ciruuKjf pic.twitter.com/usl5fo4YQG
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 2, 2025
“Correction: TOI’s June 1 editions of Lucknow and Chennai carried a report, headlined ‘Col Qureshi, Wg Cdr Vyomika set to be BJP campaign’s faces’. We have since gathered that BJP does not have such a plan. Though the report was based on a conversation with Jamal Siddiqui, national president of BJP Minority Morcha, we should have checked with the party’s central leadership. We apologise for the lapse,” the correction read.
The Times of India has come under fire for misreporting a statement by BJP Minority Morcha President Jamal Siddiqui, falsely suggesting that the BJP planned to project Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as the faces of an upcoming women-centric campaign.
In reality, Siddiqui had merely referred to Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh as inspirational role models for women, particularly within the Muslim community. However, TOI presented this comment as confirmation of a broader BJP campaign strategy, a claim that the party has categorically denied.
The misleading report was prominently featured across several publications of the Times Media Group. It claimed that the BJP would launch the said campaign on June 9, 2025, to mark 11 years of the Modi government, and that the BJP Minority Morcha had been tasked with organising Chaupals in mosques, dargahs, and other community spaces to boost outreach among minorities.
In response, the BJP strongly refuted the report, calling it entirely fabricated. The party clarified that there are no plans to appoint Colonel Qureshi or Wing Commander Singh as campaign faces for any initiative.
This is #FakeNews. The BJP has no plans to use either Col Sofia Qureshi or Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as campaign faces. The comments made by BJP Minority Morcha President Jamal Siddiqui have been misconstrued. He simply made a limited point about highlighting Col Qureshi as an… pic.twitter.com/nPttvpTWMs
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 1, 2025
BJP leader Amit Malviya addressed the controversy on X, stating, “This is #FakeNews. The BJP has no plans to use either Col Sofia Qureshi or Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as campaign faces. The comments made by BJP Minority Morcha President Jamal Siddiqui have been misconstrued. He simply made a limited point about highlighting Col Qureshi as an example of an empowered Muslim woman within the community.”
