Days after she was suspended from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for her alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad, the party’s national spokesperson Nupur Sharma said she "accepts and respects" the party's decision.
"I have practically grown up in the organisation. I respect and accept their decision," Sharma said after being asked about the BJP's action against her. The BJP had suspended Sharma along with the party’s Delhi unit’s media head Naveen Kumar for the controversial remarks during a TV debate.
Meanwhile, 16 nations, as well as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which consists of 56 member states, have censured the BJP over the same.
The list of countries that have censured the ruling government includes Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Indonesia, UAE, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Libya, Taliban in Afghanistan, Jordan, Turkey, and the Maldives.
Indian ambassadors to Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, and Qatar were also summoned by the foreign ministries of the respective countries.
New Rules for BJP Spokespersons
Meanwhile, the saffron party has issued new rules for its spokespersons and leaders joining TV debates, as per reports. Only authorised spokespersons and panellists will participate in TV debates, and they will be assigned by the party's media cell, as per NDTV.
The Delhi Police has also provided security to Nupur Sharma and her family. This comes after an FIR was registered on a complaint that she was getting death threats over her controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad, officials said on Tuesday, 7 June.
On Monday, the Mumbai Police summoned Sharma to record her statement on 22 June in connection with the FIR registered against her for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
Sharma had made the alleged comments against the Prophet during a debate on a television channel. When the controversy snowballed, Jindal posted a controversial tweet about the founder of Islam, which he later deleted.
(An earlier version of the story erroneously referred to Nupur Sharma as a BJP MP. The error is regretted.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)