New Delhi: The BJP has suspended Nupur Sharma for her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad, but there is no respite for the former party spokesperson.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday demanded the arrest of Nupur as he claimed that her comments had triggered outrage in Gulf nations and put India in an embarrassing position.
“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.
Owaisi also took a dig at the Union Ministry of External Affairs.
“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?” he posed.
The Hyderabad MP alleged that BJP deliberately sends its spokespersons to make inflammatory statements, and then had to take action after facing flak.
A banquet in honour of Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu in Qatar was cancelled, while 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 realize that their spokesperson had said something hurtful to the sentiments of Muslims,” Owaisi said.
Nupur had made the comments during a TV debate on the Gyanvapi mosque row. Delhi BJP’s media in-charge Naveen Kumar Jindal had also tweeted on the matter, which he subsequently deleted.
On Sunday, BJP suspended Nupur and expelled Jindal from the party.
