Who is Nupur Sharma, whose remarks led to 'diplomatic war'?
Nupur Sharma, the BJP leader who was suspended from the party for making controversial religious remarks on Sunday, was the party's official spokesperson. During a television news debate, she recently ignited a big uproar with her controversial statement on Islamic Prophet Muhammed. On Friday, her statements also sparked riots in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Here's more about the BJP leader.
Was a student leader at Delhi University
Sharma is an Economics and Law graduate from Delhi's Hindu College. She later earned an LLM from the London School of Economics and has been involved in politics since her college days. Sharma started her political career as the President of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) on an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) ticket.
Prominent woman face of BJP
Sharma has been a prominent woman face of the BJP, holding numerous crucial roles in the party. Among the several roles that she held are Member of the National Executive Committee of the BJP's youth wing BJYM, National Media Co-In Charge of the youth wing, Member of the BJP's Yuva Working Committee, and Member of the BJP Delhi State Executive Committee.
Main political rival of Arvind Kejriwal
The BJP chose Sharma to fight against Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections from the New Delhi constituency but she lost.
What exactly did Sharma say?
During a recent debate on the Gyanvapi Mosque row on a TV channel, Sharma stated that because Muslims were insulting the Hindu faith by calling the unearthed Shivling a fountain, certain aspects in their religious scriptures may be mocked as well. She then made a mention of Prophet Muhammed's marriage, too. Her remarks sparked uproar and elicited responses from religious organizations and political parties.
Cases against Sharma over remarks on Prophet Muhammed
Sharma's alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammed had ignited protests from Muslim groups. Several FIRs were registered against her in Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her comments during the news debate. Following a complaint lodged by Abdul Gafur Pathan, a former corporator of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), a case was also registered at the Kondhwa Police Station.
BJP faces backlash from Muslim countries
The BJP's move to suspend Sharma came in response to a protest from Gulf countries against the party. Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned India's ambassador to Tehran over an alleged "insult to the Prophet of Islam in an Indian TV show." Besides Iran, Qatar and Kuwait summoned India's ambassadors and handed over protest notes in response to the BJP leader's contentious remarks against the Prophet.
Sharma withdraws her statement
Following the uproar, Sharma stated on Twitter, " If my words have caused discomfort or hurt religious feelings of anyone whatsoever, I hereby unconditionally withdraw my statement. It was never my intention to hurt anyone's religious feelings." Protests have been held by Muslim organizations calling for action against her. Sharma has also been charged with infringing on religious emotions in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Pune.
