By Ashish Pandey
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday demanded the arrest of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, whose controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad had triggered outrage in Gulf nations and left India in an embarrassing position, he claimed.
“India has lost face. The country’s foreign policy was destroyed. The fringe has become mainstream. I demand [Nupur Sharma’s] arrest, not just suspension,” Owaisi said.
He also took aim at the Ministry of External Affairs, saying, “Has the foreign ministry become a part of the BJP? What will you do if there are hate crimes and violence against Indian nationals in Gulf countries?”
The Hyderabad MP alleged that the BJP deliberately sends its spokespersons to make inflammatory statements, and took action only after facing flak for its leaders’s remarks on the international stage.
Owaisi pointed out the snubs and rebukes India has faced due to the alleged derogatory remarks against the Prophet: a banquet in honour of vice president Venkaiah Naidu in Qatar was cancelled, and the governments of two Gulf nations summoned Indian envoys to lodge their protest.
“I had appealed to the prime minister earlier, but he did not bend. Action was taken only after the matter blew up in the Gulf. This should have been done sooner. It took the BJP 10 days to realise that their spokesperson had said something hurtful to the sentiments of Muslims,” he added.
Nupur Sharma’s comments, made in a TV debate nearly 10 days back, and Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal’s now-deleted tweets sparked protests and violence in the country, as well as furious backlash from several Muslim countries.
A cornered BJP went into demage control mode and suspended Sharma and Jindal on Sunday, and also issued a statement asserting that it respects all religions and strongly denounces insult of any religious personality. ( India Today )
