The Congress on Sunday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its leaders’ recent remarks against religious minorities, saying the saffron party has pushed India “into a dark age of religious polarisation”.
The Congress also rejected the BJP’s statement that it is “strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion” as a “blatantly counterfeit pretence”.
Also Read | India moves to assuage outrage in West Asia
The party’s remarks came hours after the BJP suspended its spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal over alleged remarks against Prophet Mohammed.
Also Read | BJP's Nupur Sharma suspended, Naveen Jindal expelled over remarks on Prophet
The remarks triggered slew of criticisms across countries, prompting the Indian embassies in Kuwait and Qatar to issue identical statements that said some “offensive tweets” by individuals in India denigrating the religious personality “do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the government of India”. The statement added: “These are the views of fringe elements.”
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Centre calling BJP spokespersons fringe elements is a “joke”. “BJP has suspended two spokespersons after protests by Qatar government. This is what Americans call a good cop-bad cop routine. First, get your people to be obnoxious. Then act against them under pressure, to appear moderate. MEA calling BJP spokespersons ‘fringe elements’ is a joke!” he tweeted.
{{/usCountry}}Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Centre calling BJP spokespersons fringe elements is a “joke”. “BJP has suspended two spokespersons after protests by Qatar government. This is what Americans call a good cop-bad cop routine. First, get your people to be obnoxious. Then act against them under pressure, to appear moderate. MEA calling BJP spokespersons ‘fringe elements’ is a joke!” he tweeted.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj says he sympathises with Nupur Sharma, then makes a point on BJP
The Congress said the BJP government was trying to pit one community against another.
“The BJP and its shenanigans have repeatedly and by design insulted India’s centuries old civilisational ethos of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ by constantly pitting one community and religion against another to polarise, to divide and to spread hatred,” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a statement.
“The truth is that BJP has pushed India into a dark age of religious polarisation to subserve its parochial political agenda in the short term,” he added. Surjewala also dubbed the BJP’s action against its two leaders as “farce” and “another sham attempt at damage control”. “The placatory expulsion of two key members and spokespersons of the BJP from its primary membership, done obviously under duress of threats from external powers, exposes the much touted ‘muscular posturing’ and positioning of the BJP and the Modi government,” he said.