New Delhi: Hamid Ansari, India's former Vice-President and a career diplomat, today indicated that the government's reaction to the Islamic backlash over the Prophet controversy falls short of what is required. More than 15 Islamic nations have condemned the derogatory comments about the Prophet by the BJP's national spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
The Indian ambassadors summoned by these nations have responded saying it is the view of "fringe elements" and not the government. they have also pointed out that the ruling party has taken action against these leaders. The party also issued a strong statement, saying it is "strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion. .
Asked if the BJP is turning over a new leaf, Mr Ansari -- who has wide experience as a diplomat who worked in some of these nations -- told NDTV that the "corrective has to come".
"For the embassy to issue statements is not enough. It is not enough for the official spokesperson to issue a clarification. This should have been dealt with at an appropriate political level," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
"The Prime Minister could have diffused the issue but no one thought it fit to do this at an appropriate time," he added.
PM Modi has maintained silence on the issue despite demands and condemnation from the opposition. Asked what his message to the Prime Minister would be, Mr Ansari said, "The PM should have said the appropriate thing... He knows what to say. I don't have to tell him what to do and what not to do.
On what is at stake for India in the Gulf, he said there are 52 member countries of the OIC, "which is an important voting block in the United Nations".
"So it is not a question of a particular country taking opposition which offends us. It is a question of 52 members of the United Nations taking opposition on a matter which there was an uncalled for intervention by the spokesperson of a particular party," he added.
Such a backlash, the former vice president said, would not have been possible if there was no total agreement in each one of the at the political level "that this is a point that needs to be registered and registered forcefully".
The backlash, he added, was "inevitable".
"This is not a matter of an individual. It affects a community of a particular faith... if it affects every Muslim on the globe then such a reaction is bound to happen. This is inevitable," he added.
Earlier today, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal brushed off the controversy, saying India will continue to have good ties with Gulf nations.
Declaring that Nupur Sharma's statement "has no impact on the government" since she is not a government functionary, he said "The Foreign office has come out with clarification and BJP has taken necessary actions. We have a good relationship with these countries and it will continue".