Sacked BJP leader says ‘death threats’ coming his way amid row over comments on Prophet
Naveen Kumar Jindal issued a clarification on his tweet from June 1 referring to Prophet Mohammed that had landed him in trouble. He said that he respects the “faith of all religions” and his tweet was only a question to those attacking and insulting Hindu deities.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Delhi media cell head, Naveen Kumar Jindal, who was expelled by the saffron party on Sunday over his controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammed, said he and his family members were receiving deaths threats on social media and the Delhi Police and Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena to take note of the same.
Jindal made a “special request” and urged people not to make his address “public” as he and his family are constantly receiving death threats on social media. In the tweet, he tagged Delhi Police, the commissioner of the police unit Rakesh Asthana, and the LG. “Please take note,” his tweet added.
After the news of his expulsion came to light, Jindal told PTI that he was unaware of the same and was yet to receive any letter from Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta.
Earlier in the day, Jindal issued a clarification on his tweet from June 1 referring to Prophet Mohammed that had landed him in trouble. He said that he respects the “faith of all religions” and his tweet was only a question to those attacking and insulting Hindu deities. “It does not mean that we are against any religion,” he added.
Besides Jindal, BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma came under the spotlight for her comments on the Prophet. However, unlike Jindal, she was suspended from the BJP's primary membership, a statement put out by the party read.
The comments by Sharma and Jindal not only triggered complaints from within India but also invited criticism from overseas, including many Arab nations such as Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia - all of which share close relations with India. Qatar's foreign ministry summoned Indian ambassador Deepak Mittal and handed him an official note, expressing disappointment and total rejection of the BJP leader’s comments against the Prophet.
Earlier in the day, the BJP distanced itself from the controversy and said that the party “respects all religions”.
In a statement signed by the party's national general secretary Arun Singh, the saffron camp said that it is “strictly” against any ideology that “insults or demeans any sect or religion”.
“The BJP does not promote such persons or philosophy…it (the BJP) strongly denounces the insult of any religious personalities of any religion,” the statement added.
Sharma also issued an apology soon after being suspended. She said that repeated insults against Lord Shiva made her lose calm and say things “out of rage”. “I take back my words if they have hurt anyone's religious sentiments,” she said in a statement released on Twitter.
