BJP suspends Nupur Sharma, Naveen Kumar Jindal over inflammatory remarks against minorities
New Delhi, June 5: In an apparent response to the ongoing controversy over party spokesperson Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal's alleged inflammatory remarks against minorities, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suspended the two leaders from the primary membership of the party on Sunday till further notice.
Earlier in the day, BJP general secretary Arun Singh issued a statement which read, "BJP strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion. The Bharatiya Janata Party is also against any ideology which insults or demeans any section or religion. The BJP does not promote such people or philosophy."
The statement issued by BJP further said that the party "respects all religions" and is "strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion".
"During the thousands of years of the history of India, every religion has blossomed and flourished. The Bharatiya Janata Party respects all religions," it added.
"India's Constitution gives the right to every citizen to practise any religion of his/her choice and to honour and respect every religion. As India celebrates the 75th year of its independence, we are committed to making India a great country where all are equal and everyone lives with dignity, where all are committed to India's unity and integrity, where all enjoy the fruits of growth and development," the statement further read.
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The official statement, however, made no direct reference to any incident or comment made by Sharma during the debate.
The Mumbai police filed an FIR against Sharma after receiving a complaint from Irfan Shaikh, joint secretary of the Raza Academy's Mumbai unit. It was claimed that Sharma made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad during a news debate on the Gyanvapi issue. Furthermore, Jindal is accused of tweeting against the interests of the country.
Following Sharma and Jindal's comments, some Gulf Twitter users advocated for a boycott of Indian-made products. "Such leaders should be sent to jail immediately, otherwise we will come out on the streets to get them arrested," a user said on Twitter.
"After call for Boycotting Indian Products, BJP Delhi distances itself from statements made by their spokesperson on television and tweet by BJP member Naveen Kumar Jindal," another user said.
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-PTC News
