Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was responsible for the global backlash following the controversial statements made by suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammed. Mr. Modi should break his silence on the matter, he said.
“The party may have suspended her, but who is responsible for the infamy that the statement has brought for India? The Prime Minister gives a statement on almost everything, why is he silent on this matter?” said Mr. Singh, talking to the media after a press conference at the party’s state headquarters at Indira Bhawan here.
He also questioned the “fringe elements” descriptor being used for Ms. Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, a fellow spokesperson who was expelled after the outcry. “We are talking about a national spokesperson who is expressing the party’s ideology. How can she [Ms. Sharma] be described as a fringe element and if indeed she is one, the party president [J.P. Nadda] has to own up for nominating her as spokesperson and apologise for the same,” Mr. Singh said.
He also questioned the use of bulldozers in Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to demolish properties of those allegedly involved in violence. There were allegations of custodial torture of protesters in these States, he said. “Hang those who have committed crime but why are their families being targeted? The government should clarify under which provision of the Municipal Act are such actions being done,” he said.
The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister further alleged that it was only the BJP that was gaining from an atmosphere of unrest prevailing in the country. “By creating such an atmosphere, the BJP is trying to intimidate the people of this country…. Does our Sanatan Dharma allow this?” he said.
National Herald case
Earlier, at a press conference, he refuted the allegations against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior leader Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, saying the charges were bogus and a devious attempt by the BJP to target the Opposition.
Mr. Gandhi is due to visit the office of the Enforcement Directorate on Monday after being summoned by the ED for interrogation in the money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.
