Following an incident in which two representatives from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were suspended over remarks offensive to Islam, the High Commission of India in Malaysia has emphasised that the remarks were not representative of the Indian government's position.
The High Commissioner of India to Malaysia, BN Reddy, had a meeting with the Foreign Ministry in Putrajaya, during which concerns regarding some offensive tweets/remarks made by BJP politicians in India were raised.
"The High Commissioner conveyed that the offensive tweets/remarks do not, in any manner, represent the views of the government of India.
"The government of India accords the highest respect to all religions and strong action has already been taken by concerned quarters against those who made the derogatory tweets/remarks," said the High Commission in a statement.
Leaders of India's Hindu nationalist ruling party yesterday instructed officials to be "extremely cautious" when talking about religion on public platforms after the derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad drew protests from Islamic nations.
BJP leaders said the verbal instructions were given to over 30 senior officials and some federal ministers who are authorised to take part in debates hosted by Indian news channels often broadcast live to millions of viewers.
"We don't want party officials to speak in a way that hurts the religious sentiments of any community...They must ensure the party's doctrine gets shared in a sophisticated manner," said a senior BJP leader and federal minister in New Delhi.
OIC’s complaint
Last week, the BJP suspended spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled another party official after Islamic nations demanded apologies from the Indian government and summoned diplomats to protest against anti-Islamic remarks made during a TV debate.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran were among the nations that made their complaints public.
The influential 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) claimed in a statement that the insults came in the context of an increasingly intense atmosphere of hatred toward Islam in India and systematic harassment of Muslims.
Although Modi's party has denied any rise in communal tensions during his reign, BJP rule has emboldened hardline Hindu groups in recent years to take up causes they say to defend their faith, stoking a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment.
Small-scale protests have erupted in parts of India as Muslim groups demanded Sharma's arrest. - Mkini
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