India's ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) continued to receive flak over the weekend over its national spokesperson's blasphemous remarks against Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Al Jazeera and Arab News reported on Monday. BJP’s national spokeswoman Nupur Sharma and Delhi media operation head Naveen Jindal were reported by the media to also have been expelled from the party.
Sharma's remarks had come during a televised debate, whereas Jindal had tweeted them out, in a Twitter post has now been deleted. Following the backlash, Sharma posted on Twitter that she had said, "some things in response to comments made about a Hindu god but it was never an intention to hurt anyone's religious feelings".
Now, Bollywood actor Swara Bhaskar, who has often raised her voice for Indian Muslims and their ordeals, took to social media and shared her two cents on the matter.
"Uproar in the Arab world following insults to Prophet Mohammad by ruling party spokespeople on national TV led to calls to boycott Indian products trending on Arab social media," the Veere Di Wedding star penned. She added, "Mohan Bhagwat’s statement and BJP suspending Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal are the results. Hate doesn’t pay!"
Uproar in Arab world following insults to Prophet Mohammad by ruling party spokespeople on national TV, led to calls to boycott Indian products trending on Arab social media. Mohan Bhagwat’s statement& BJP suspending Nupur Sharma & Naveen Jindal are the result. Hate doesn’t pay! https://t.co/Q817qL6mr9
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) June 5, 2022
The ruling Hindutva party on Sunday “strongly denounced" the “insult of any religious personalities of any religion.” In a statement, the party maintained, “The Bharatiya Janata Party is also strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion. The BJP does not promote such people or philosophy.”
Quoting the Indian Constitution, the statement upheld that every citizen has the right to practice his/her religion, however, the statement did not directly reference the Islamophobic remarks or mention the sanctioning of the two-party officials.
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