BJP divided on action against Nupur Sharma, Naveen Jindal? What remarks by Delhi leaders suggest
The BJP’s central leadership and Delhi unit seem to be divided over the party leadership’s decision to suspend national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expel Delhi unit media head Navin Kumar Jindal, in wake of their remarks against Prophet Mohammad.
While the central BJP said that the action against the two leaders was a “well-thought-out decision”, there are murmurs of discontent in the Delhi unit of the party. Senior leaders in the state unit said that while most leaders are avoiding showing support on social media, some have expressed discontent in internal WhatsApp groups and personal conversations.
The Indian Express quoted leaders in the party’s central leadership saying that while on one hand, the party was busy in preparations for the Modi government’s eighth-anniversary celebrations, Sharma and Jindal had “dwelt” on their remarks against the Prophet and Islam for days “ignoring” warnings from the party’s central office.
“The party is clear on this, the Prime Minister created a narrative on development and the party’s role is to work on it and support it. Anything that hurts this process would be considered as indiscipline,” a senior party leader was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.
“Being a spokesperson for the party for the national media, Nupur Sharma should know that the BJP sets its agenda and narrative around ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas’. The controversy over her remarks and Jindal’s tweets has not only hurt our development agenda but also dented the image of the government and Prime Minister at the international level,” he added.
On the other hand, the action against Sharma and Jindal has not gone down well with many leaders and workers in the state unit.
Going public with his thoughts, Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra tweeted: “Their country is an Islamic country. Talking about the rights of Muslims, openly talking about economic boycott, removal from jobs… in the name of religion. Hindus are second-class citizens in this world. Only Hindu religion is such that there is no punishment for mocking or abusing it, rather reward is given.”
Meanwhile, Praveen Chaudhary, a Mandal adhyaksh of Delhi’s Jharoda area, wrote on Facebook: “I respect all religions, but if people from a religion speak about our god, it’s fine, while if we open our mouth, the party punishes us. If you can’t stand your karyakarta, then stop using them too. The party has broken the trust of crores of karyakartas. If you will not be with Nupur Sharma, then why will karyakartas fight for you.”
BJP leader and in-charge of the Yuva Morcha’s state IT cell, Abhishek Dubey, tweeted: “I do not support the insult of any religion because everyone has their faith somewhere. But our Shivji has also been insulted… has any action been taken against anyone?”
“Today when Naveen ji and Nupur ji needed the party’s help the most, they were deserted,” Dubey told The Indian Express.
News agency PTI quoted a senior functionary of Delhi BJP saying that Sharma and Jindal were “doing the bidding of the party and they should not have been punished for just crossing the limit in the heat of the moment.”
“We have been sentimentally following BJP’s policy and defending its Hindutva plank for years. The question is what is our stake and what happens if we land in some problem while doing it,” said a district Delhi BJP president.
However, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta claimed that there was no “resentment” over action against Sharma and Jindal. “I do not have any complaint from any party member. I would be the first to know if there were anything like this,” he told PTI.
Several other Delhi BJP leaders including a few office bearers of the state unit said rather than “shock”, of Sharma and Jindal was a “big disappointment” for ordinary workers who followed the party’s policies and programs without ever thinking about their own interests.
Meanwhile, The Indian Express quoted sources in the central BJP saying that while Jindal’s tweets came to the leadership’s attention later, it had given “enough warnings” and “cautionary advice” to Sharma, but she “went on and on, giving impetus to all kinds of elements to keep the issue alive”.
The BJP leaders said the party had “thought about different aspects and consequences” before taking disciplinary action against the two leaders. While Sharma was suspended from the party and its responsibilities pending further inquiry, Jindal was expelled from the party’s primary membership.
