New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday send out a strong message as it suspended party’s spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after they made controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad. Amid protests by Muslim groups over the remarks which have also caused a stir abroad, especially in Arab countries, the BJP issued a statement aimed at assuaging the concerns of minorities and distancing itself from these members, asserting that it respects all religions and strongly denounces insult of any religious personality.
Nupur Sharma’s comments, made in a TV debate nearly 10 days back and Naveen Jindal’s now-deleted tweets, sparked a Twitter trend calling for a boycott of Indian products in some countries, while Qatar summoned the Indian ambassador and handed him an official note on its “total rejection and condemnation of the remarks of an official in the ruling party in India against Prophet Mohammed”.
Who is Nupur Sharma
- Nupur Sharma, who has now been suspended by BJP, was the party’s national spokesperson. Nupur Sharma came into the limelight in 2015 when BJP fielded her against Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Assembly elections.
- Nupur Sharma began her political journey in student politics since she studied in Delhi University. Nupur Sharma later went to abroad for studies and she was the Youth Ambassador of Tech for India.
- Upon returning to the country, Nupur Sharma worked for the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.
- Nupur Sharma has been a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the BJP.
- In 2008, Nupur Sharma won the election of the President of Delhi University Students’ Union from ABVP.
- Nupur Sharma had also worked as a member of the National Executive in the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
After being suspended from party, Nupur Sharma issued an apology on Twitter and said she unconditionally withdraw her statement. Several FIRs have been filed against Nupur Sharma in Maharashtra and violent clash erupted in Kanpur on June 3 after her remarks on Prophet Muhammad during a TV debate.
