Respect All Religions: BJP Amid Row Over Spokesperson’s Comments Against Prophet Mohammed

BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma's comments during a TV debate last week, purportedly insulting the Prophet, had triggered a huge outcry and protests from Muslim groups.

New Delhi: Following backlash over controversial comments made by its spokesperson against Prophet Mohammed, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Sunday that it respects all religions and strongly denounces insults of any religious personality. However, the statement made no direct mention of any incident or comment.

Days after BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s controversial remarks at a TV news show, party general secretary Arun Singh said that the BJP is strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion. “During the thousands of years of history of India every religion has blossomed and flourished. The BJP respects all religions. The BJP strongly denounces insults of any religious personalities of any religion” Singh said.

He said that the Indian Constitution gives the right to every citizen to practice any religion of his or her choice and to honour and respect every religion. “As India celebrates 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,” he said.

Let us remind our readers that Nupur Sharma’s comments during a TV debate last week, purportedly insulting the Prophet, had triggered a huge outcry and protests from Muslim groups. At least 40 people, including 20 police personnel, were injured during the clashes after two groups clashed on Friday in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur over a call to shut down markets following the controversial remarks.