The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday suspended national spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad during a recent TV debate. The saffron party also suspended Delhi BJP’s media in-charge Naveen Kumar Jindal.
The central disciplinary committee of the BJP, in suspension letter, wrote: “You have expressed views contrary to the party’s position on various matters… Pending further inquiry, you are suspended from the party and from your responsibilities with immediate effect.”
Nupur Sharma’s statement had drawn protests and led to violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur.
This comes a day after hashtags calling for the boycott of Indian products started trending on Twitter in Arab countries over Sharma’s comments. The Grand Mufti of Oman, along with other Twitter handles with a large following, called for the boycott.
Apart from the demand for boycott, the tweets also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Grand Mufti of Oman Sheikh Al-Khalili wrote on Twitter: “The insolent and obscene rudeness of the official spokesman for the ruling extremist party in India against the Messenger of Islam, peace be upon him, and his pure wife, Mother of the Believers Aisha, may God be pleased with her, is a war against every Muslim in the east and west of the earth, and it is a matter that calls for all Muslims to rise as one nation.”
إن الاجتراء الوقح البذيء من الناطق الرسمي باسم الحزب المتطرف الحاكم في الهند على رسول الإسلام ﷺ وعلى زوجه الطاهرة أم المؤمنين عائشة رضي الله عنها هو حرب على كل مسلم في مشارق الأرض ومغاربها، وهو أمر يستدعي أن يقوم المسلمون كلهم قومة واحدة pic.twitter.com/T58Ya1dGox
— أحمد بن حمد الخليلي (@AhmedHAlKhalili) June 4, 2022
As the issue earlier snowballed into larger controversy, the BJP high command had earlier swung into action and issued its stand on the issue.
In a statement released on Sunday, June 5, by BJP’s party general secretary Arun Singh, the party had said that it “is strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion,” adding that it “respects all religions and strongly denounces insult of any religious personality.”
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