Arif Mohammed Khan | Photo: PTI
New Delhi: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Monday said that India need not apologise for the 'communal' statements of BJP leaders Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal.
Qatar and Kuwait had demanded India's apology and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The OIC also urged the UN to take necessary measures to ensure that the rights of Muslims are protected in India.
These coutries have always criticised India over Kashmir issue. India need not worry about such comments. What matters is the statements of PM Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagawat, he said.
Meanwhile, India on Monday slammed the comments by OIC as "narrow-minded" and "motivated, misleading and mischievous". New Delhi also hit back at Pakistan after its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reacted sharply on Twitter to condemn remarks by Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, saying the "absurdity of a serial violator of minority rights" commenting on the treatment of minorities in another nation is not lost on anyone.
Reacting strongly to remarks by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India accords "highest respect" to all religions and that the statement by the 57-member grouping exposed its "divisive agenda" which is being pursued at the behest of "vested interests."
Sharma's comments, made in a TV debate nearly 10 days back, and Jindal's now-deleted tweets also sparked a Twitter trend, calling for a boycott of Indian products in some Arab countries.
While Sharma, who was a BJP national spokesperson, has been suspended from the party, Jindal, head of Delhi BJP media head, has been expelled from the party.
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