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Has hurt India’s standing, says Opposition on remarks by 2 BJP spokespersons

Jun 06, 2022 06:13 PM IST

The BJP on Sunday suspended Nupur Sharma from the party and expelled spokesperson Naveen Kumar Jindal, asserting that it “strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion”.

New Delhi: The Opposition on Monday launched a sharp attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammed by its two spokespersons who were removed by the party yesterday after a barrage of criticism.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Nupun Sharma, who was suspended by the BJP on Sunday for her controversial remarks, should have been arrested (PTI)
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Nupun Sharma, who was suspended by the BJP on Sunday for her controversial remarks, should have been arrested (PTI)

“Divided internally, India becomes weak externally. BJP’s shameful bigotry has not only isolated us, but also damaged India’s standing globally,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a post on Twitter.

The BJP on Sunday suspended Nupur Sharma from the party with immediate effect and expelled spokesperson Naveen Kumar Jindal, asserting that it “strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion”.

In a string of tweets, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the BJP of hypocrisy. “On one side, BJP spreads hatred using religious polarization and disrespects the Indian culture of ‘Vasudev Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family. On the other side, it pretends to respect all religions. This seems hypocritical,” he said, wondering if the ruling BJP was truly serious about bringing a change in its approach.

The opposition offensive comes at a time New Delhi is dealing with the diplomatic fallout of the remarks that were seen as blasphemous in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have issued statements denouncing their remarks. Kuwait, Qatar and Iran on Sunday summoned Indian envoys to lodge their protest over the remarks.,

The external affairs ministry has said the controversial comments reflected the “views of fringe elements”.

Former finance minister P Chidambaram underlined that the BJP did not act against the two spokespersons when the offensive comments were criticised in the country.

“Mrs Nupur Sharma and Mr Naveen Kumar were not the original creators of the Islamophobia. Remember, they were trying to (be) more loyal than the King,” he said in a tweet, adding, “Domestic criticism did not impel BJP to act against the two spokespersons. It was only the international backlash that pushed the BJP to take action.”

CPI (M) also said the BJP was “forced to act” following pressure from Gulf nations.

“Nupur Sharma publicly thanked party leaders Amit Shah, PMO and others for support. Now under pressure from other countries they are forced to act and suspend her. These are patrons of hate speech. Condemn Isolate Defeat them Save India,” the CPM said in a tweet.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Sharma should have been arrested and not just suspended from her party.

“India has lost face. The country’s foreign policy was destroyed. The fringe has become mainstream. I demand (Sharma’s) arrest, not just suspension,” he said.

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