Day after expulsion from BJP, Naveen Jindal takes swipe at Arvind Kejriwal
Naveen Kumar Jindal was expelled from the BJP on Sunday after a communication from Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said that the former's views on social media affect communal harmony and is in violation of the party's fundamental beliefs.
A day after Naveen Kumar Jindal was expelled from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over his controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammed, the party’s former Delhi unit media chief took to Twitter to launch an attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Sharing a video of a rally of Khalistan supporters that he claimed is from Punjab's Amritsar (where the AAP is in power), Jindal asked Kejriwal if this is the “change” he wants to bring in the border state.
The video shows a huge rally where people are seen carrying Khalistani flags with police accompanying them.
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“A rally of Khalistan supporters in Amritsar, Punjab, under the supervision of police and administration shows that the separatist government of Arvind Kejriwal has spread in Punjab. Was this the change that Kejriwal wanted to bring?” Jindal's tweet, roughly translated from Hindi, read.
This was Jindal's second tweet of the day. Hours ago, he wrote “Jai Shree Ram”. He has, however, removed his official designations from the Twitter bio and added “Proud Hindu” and “nationalist” in place.
Jindal was expelled from the saffron camp on Sunday after a communication from Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said that the former's views on social media affect communal harmony and is in violation of the party's fundamental beliefs.
"Your primary membership is immediately terminated and you are expelled from the party," Gupta said in the communication.
Besides Jindal, BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma has come under the scanner for her comments on the Prophet. However, unlike Jindal, Sharma was suspended from the party's primary membership.
Soon after his expulsion, Jindal said death threats were being given to him and his family on social media. He urged people not to give away his address, and also asked Delhi Police, its commissioner Rakesh Asthana, and Capital's Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena to take note of the problem.
On Sunday, the now-sacked BJP leader also issued a clarification on his tweet from June 1 pertaining to Prophet Mohammed. He said that the post was only a question to those attacking and insulting Hindu deities, and does not mean that he is “against any religion”. Jindal added that he respects the “faith of all religions”.
A former journalist, Jindal had earlier too come under the fire for allegedly sharing a doctored video of Kejriwal on Twitter. A case was subsequently lodged against him in Punjab in the case.
Meanwhile, Jindal and Sharma's comments on the Prophet have not only created a stir within the country's political fraternity, but also invited sharp criticism from several Muslim nations, most of which share close ties with India.
Before taking action against Jindal and Sharma, the BJP distanced itself from the controversy, saying it “respects all religions” and “strongly denounces the insult of any religious personalities of any religion”.
Besides Islamic nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) criticised India for the incident. However, India rejected the comments calling them “unwarranted” and “narrow-minded”.
“The offensive tweets and comments denigrating a religious personality were made by certain individuals. They do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the Government of India. Strong action has already been taken against these individuals by relevant bodies,” a statement by the foreign ministry read.
