Over the last few days, the political temperature in India has been on the rise. The daily struggle between truth and lie has taken a sharp religious twist. Well, it has now engulfed Nupur Sharma, the star spokesperson of the BJP. But, the larger question is still there. And that is, whom is BJP trying to appease by throwing her out.
BJP suspends its assets
BJP seems to be giving close attention to social media trends. In the aftermath of manufactured backlash against Nupur Sharma’s controversial comments, BJP has decided to temporarily do away with her. Firstly it distanced itself from her and within a few hours decided to hand over a suspension letter to Nupur Sharma.
According to official statement of BJP, views of Nupur Sharma are contrary to the core principles of the party. Om Pathak, Member secretary of BJP’s central disciplinary committee, conveyed to Nupur Sharma, “You have expressed views contrary to the Party’s position on various matters, which is in clear violation of Rule 10 (a) of the constitution of the BJP. I have been directed to convey to you that pending further inquiry, you are suspended from the party and from your responsibilities/assignments if any, with immediate effect.”
Additionally, the Saffron party has also expelled Naveen Kumar Jindal, the media head of the Delhi BJP. He drew his party’s wrath due to a controversial tweet.
Speculations loom large
Nupur’s suspension is not an easily digestible development. What Nupur said was controversial and people from a particular religion complained that she had hurt their sentiments. However, it is also a fact that she just reiterated whatever was out there in the public domain. In a TV debate, Nupur had said, “Mohammed married a 6-year-old girl and had sex with her at the age of 9.” She had also stated that according to Quran, Earth is flat, which is totally non-scientific.
https://twitter.com/sarthakvb_108/status/1533417266632486912
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After her statement, the left-liberal side of the public spectrum had run a vicious campaign against her on social media. Islamists asked for her apology and even threatened her for life. Moreover, to send a clear warning to PM Modi, a riot-like situation was created in Kanpur when both Prime Minister and President Kovind were in the city.
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In the wake of all this, people expected that at least BJP would act as a strong pillar for her. But, BJP took exactly the opposite stand. Arun Singh, BJP general secretary said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party respects all religions. The BJP strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion, It does not promote such people or philosophy.”
Is BJP going Congress’ way?
The suspension order has forced many to ponder over the BJP’s future course of action. Up until now, it is a strong sentiment among the masses that BJP is a pro-Hindu party and abiding by Sanatan Dharm, it always stands with the truth. However, the actions against Nupur present a totally different story. Whatever Nupur said can be easily verified by turning a few pages of the holy book of Islam. Yes, it may hurt sentiments, but if it is a historical fact, it does not matter much.
Those who have watched Congress’ development over the years saw how Rajiv Gandhi bowed down to Islamists during the Shah Bano matter. Looking at BJP’s surrender to the same lobby, some may bring out a parallel between the two events.
International relations angle?
However, it is not just a domestic issue. Islam as a religion is extremely influential in the modern world. It may be the majority religion in a few powerful countries, but even where it is a minority, the religion holds soft power, sometimes trampling the majority religion of the land. It was evident in Nupur’s case as well.
The whole Middle East rose up in arms against India and especially Nupur. In what seemed to be a coordinated move, Qatar, Iran, and Kuwait summoned Indian envoys to discuss the issue. All three countries registered strong protests against Nupur’s statements. Later Saudi Arabia also joined the bandwagon. The problem with not listening to their concerns is that these countries can anytime disrupt India’s energy sector. About 40 percent of India’s gas needs are supplied by Qatar while Saudi is one of the topmost oil suppliers to India.
It is also being said that India did not want to antagonize these countries for the time being. If it is true, then India needs to be self-reliant in the energy sector. Just like we broke Western pride in the last few years, it is time to break Gulf pride as well. In the aftermath of the disastrous suspension, India needs to work toward finding alternative sources of energy. The source which does not interfere in our domestic affairs.
