"Fringe?" A Owaisi's Reminder To Centre On Prophet Row Defence

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi today said the ruling BJP should send its spokesperson Nupur Sharma to jail for her comments on Prophet Muhammad, which have enraged Gulf countries and caused a huge backlash.

The Hyderabad MP also condemned the death threats to Nupur Sharma, who complained to the police today.

The government has been tackling the diplomatic fallout of the comments on Prophet Muhammad by two BJP leaders, with nations including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE and Iran demanding an apology from the government for allowing the derogatory remarks. A Kuwaiti supermarket pulled Indian products from its shelves today in a snowballing controversy.

The BJP has suspended Nupur Sharma - she made the remarks at a TV debate last week - and expelled Naveen Jindal, who had posted a tweet on the Prophet. The party also said it is "strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion" and "does not promote such people or philosophy".

Skeptical about the BJP's action, Mr Owaisi said this, in no way, constituted what could be called a turning point for the way the ruling party perceives Muslims in India.

"It will be back to business six to seven days from now. People will again be spewing poison and venom. What is the government's foreign policy? Your domestic policy is becoming your foreign policy," Mr Owaisi said.

"Has the government arrested the chief spokesperson and sent her to prison? That would have sent a strong message."

He questioned what he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence.

"Why did it take PM Modi 10 days to react on the official spokesperson of BJP, who tried to insult the most beloved symbol for Muslims, Prophet Muhammad? I would question the intention of the PM. We demanded action. Why did the PM not listen to his own citizens? The PM has no value for Indian Muslims' demand. He reacts only when Qatar reacted. He is more concerned about his image," Mr Owaisi said.

He questioned whether PM Modi would guarantee the safety of six million Indians in the Gulf.

The foreign ministry had said in a statement the offensive tweets and comments did not, in any way, reflect the views of the government. Summoned in Qatar, Indian Ambassador Deepak Mittal said the comments "do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the Government of India. These are the views of fringe elements".

Mr Owaisi reacted: "How can they say these are fringe elements? It is the national spokesperson of the BJP."

Asked whether he saw any hypocrisy in the response of the Gulf countries and selective outrage, the AIMIM leader replied: "I partly agree with you. But we are a democracy. The most loved symbol in the Muslim world is Prophet Muhammad. I don't look up to other foreign countries to defend mine. Why is the PM not listening to what we are saying?"