After the Supreme Court came down heavily on suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday, 1 July, that the BJP government was creating an "environment of anger and hatred" in India.
While Gandhi said that the remarks made by the court were true, he argued that the atmosphere in the country was not created by Sharma but by the central government.
"It is the prime minister, it is the home minister, it is the BJP and the RSS that has created this environment. This environment of anger and this environment of hatred," Gandhi said, adding that this was an "anti-national act."
The Supreme Court said on Friday that Sharma should apologise to the entire nation for her inflammatory remarks. "She is singlehandedly responsible for what is happening in the country," said Justice Surya Kant, as per Bar and Bench.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala made these remarks while hearing Sharma's plea to move all the First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against her from various states to Delhi. Her plea was dismissed by the apex court.
'BJP Should Hang Its Head in Shame': Jairam Ramesh
In a statement, AICC general secretary and communications incharge, Jairam Ramesh, said that the remarks made by the apex court resonated with the whole country. He added that the remarks should make the party in power hang its head in shame.
"The Supreme Court has held a mirror to this government and called out the base ugliness of its actions. It is no secret that the BJP seeks to profit from inflaming communal passions. Today, the Supreme Court has strengthened the resolve in every single one of us who are fighting these destructively divisive ideologies," read the AICC statement.
"The Indian National Congress will never cease its fight against polarizing anti-national forces of all types which plunge the nation into chaos for political gains and let all Indian citizens bear the consequences of their perverse actions," it added.
Mehbooba, Akhilesh, Yechury Hail SC's Stand on Sharma
Reacting to the SC's statements, People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said that she appreciated the apex court's observations regarding Sharma, but asked it to take cognisance of "different yardsticks" used for Sharma and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair.
"Appreciate SC’s observations about the provocative comments made by Nupur Sharma. But when will they take cognisance of the different yardsticks used by Delhi Police vis a vis Nupur Sharma & @zoo_bear," she said.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the court's remarks were an "indictment of the divisiveness BJP promotes and the hate its leaders and trolls consistently fan, putting our country at great risk," adding, "It is the BJP that should also apologise and pledge to not indulge in further acts which are anti-Indian, unpatriotic and divisive."
He also called for Sharma to be dealt with as per the law.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, said that the BJP must also apologise along with Sharma.
"Sirf mukh ko nahi, sharir ko bhi maafi maangni chahiye aur desh mein shaanti aur sauhard bigadhne ki sazza bhi milni chahiye (Not only the spokesperson, but the organisation should also apologise, and should be punished for disrupting the peace and friendship in the country)," he said in a tweet.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi called for the arrest of Sharma for her controversial statements.
"We demand to PM Modi that Nupur Sharma must be arrested, and let the law takes its own course. Why is BJP protecting her? BJP took credit for Gujarat clean chit by the SC, now they must look into what SC said about Nupur Sharma as well," Owaisi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
What Else Did the Supreme Court Say?
"The way she has ignited emotions across the country. This lady is singlehandedly responsible for what is happening in the country. We saw the debate on how she was incited...She should apologise to the whole country," Justice Surya Kant was quoted as saying by Bar and Bench.
Sharma's comments, delivered on national television, had provoked a stream of international censure and days-long protests, which led to the deaths of at least two people in the country.
In another major fallout, a tailor was brutally murdered in Udaipur for backing Sharma's views.
The apex court also noted that her remarks were responsible for the unfortunate incident in Udaipur, news agency ANI reported.
(With inputs from Bar and Bench and ANI.)
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