Nupur Sharma row: ‘Current debate an over-amplification by anti-BJP ecosystem, harbours hidden agenda’

Days after riots broke out across several parts of India, BJP leaders told Financial Express Online that the fallout that ensued after the alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad made by the now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma was a result of the “hidden agenda” of anti-establishment forces.

Angry protesters hit the streets across the country last Friday, several turning violent. As the chorus for Nupur Sharma’s arrest grew stronger, several reports of vandalism, stone-pelting and police vehicles being set on fire surfaced. In Jharkhand’s Ranchi, two protesters died in violent clashes with the local police. Several incidences of stone-pelting at the police, damaging public property and setting police vehicles ablaze were reported from Kolkata’s adjoining district Howrah.

Cornered globally and by Opposition parties over Sharma’s remarks, BJP national spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal told Financial Express Online, “The party has stated that we respect all religions. The current debate is an over-amplification by the anti-BJP ecosystem, harbouring a hidden agenda.”

The Narendra Modi-led government has also faced sharp criticism from within the country with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pointing out that the “fringe is BJP’s core.” While reaching out to agitators in the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the protesters to take their protests to Delhi or to the BJP-ruled states instead and ask for the PM’s resignation.

Speaking to Financial Express Online on Nupur Sharma’s suspension, BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, “The party weighed in everything and took a final decision that it considered appropriate in the given set of circumstances.”

Slamming the Opposition for looking at every incident in the country and using it as an excuse to say that the Modi govt has tarnished India’s image, Kohli said, “These views aren’t reflective of the current scenario (our FDIs have increased, we have been lauded for our response on our independent views on the Russia-Ukraine war, our global standings across several parameters have improved) — there is a set of people who for whatever reason political or otherwise , their agenda is to see India’s image to be tarnished. Perhaps, they resort to these measures as they cannot defeat BJP in electoral politics.”

Kohli even attacked Opposition leaders for raking up OIC’s dissatisfaction with the Indian government to score political points. “OIC has passed several objectionable comments on the Kashmir issue — those who are relying on the OIC statement — where do they stand when OIC raises Jammu and Kashmir?”

While refuting media reports suggesting that the polarisation that happened after India witnessed recent riots will help BJP consolidate the Hindu voter base, Kohli said that these are things best left to the political pundits to ponder upon as BJP’s politics under PM Modi is very different than people make it out to be.

“As far as our government is concerned, the agenda has consistently been ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ and in that context, every scheme of PM Modi’s government in the last eight years has been implemented keeping in mind only the welfare of the targeted beneficiaries, without seeing either their religion or their race or their region or their vote preferences, it doesn’t matter — in that light, the government’s agenda remains the same even after 8 years — being using governance as positive tool in bringing a difference to the lives of millions,” Kohli said, adding that the Opposition should see what it has done to rein in the hate speeches of its own leaders before pointing fingers at the BJP over communal politics.