Patna(PTI): Deploring Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah's remarks about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Monday asserted that had the BJP leader been in his party, "he would have been expelled for life".

The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president, who is on a tour of his home state Bihar, was replying to questions from journalists who sought his views about the episode.

"We are proud of our Army personnel. Anybody who equates them with terrorists deserves condemnation. Had such a person been in my party, he would have been expelled for life," the Hajipur MP said.

Notably, Chirag's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is an ally of the BJP.

Shah has stoked controversy by calling Colonel Sofiya Qureishi, who had briefed the media about Operation Sindoor, the "sister of terrorists".

While the BJP is yet to take any action against Shah, who has since been claiming it was a "slip of the tongue", the Madhya Pradesh minister has since drawn flak from NDA partners as well as opponents.

A grim view has also been taken of the remarks by the Supreme Court. The apex court said the "entire nation has been shamed" by Shah's utterances, in addition to ordering that the FIR lodged in this connection be probed by a three-member special investigation team.

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Udupi: Two men who are learned to have broken into Mahishamardini Temple at Kadiyali early Saturday morning were held by the locals on being alerted by the security guard and handed over to the police.

The thieves are said to have threatened the security guard with a knife, as he raised a ruckus on noticing the duo entering the temple, before escaping from the spot. The locals rushed to the temple premises and, on checking the CCTV camera footage, they found that two men had entered the premises and also escaped from there. Further, the locals looked for the thieves and found them near a petrol bunk in Kadiyali.

One of the thieves is learned to have developed a seizure and collapsed. His associate, who attempted to help him, escaped from the spot on noticing the people coming after them.

The locals, on finding that the health condition of the man who had collapsed was critical, reportedly gave him first aid and took him to the Ajjarakadu District Hospital with the help of social activist Nithyananda Olakadu.

They also succeeded in finding the second thief and handed both the men over to the police. The thieves are found to be natives of Kerala.

The security guard of the temple was lauded for his timely action.