BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma's suspension and Delhi unit media head Navin Kumar's expulsion have met with much criticism by many party leaders and workers in the state unit.
The decision of the BJP to suspend national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expel Delhi unit media head Navin Kumar Jindal has not gone down well with many leaders and workers in the state unit, insiders in Delhi BJP claimed on Monday. "The two office-bearers of the party 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," said a senior functionary of Delhi BJP urging not to be quoted.
Sharma, the national spokesperson of the BJP was suspended while Jindal, the Media head of the Delhi unit of the party was expelled on Sunday over their remarks on Prophet Mohammad. "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. Whereas, some BJP leaders "discomforted" with action against Sharma and Jindal expressed themselves cryptically on social media.
Kapil Mishra, a well-known face of Hindutva in Delhi BJP, tweeted in Hindi "Their counties are Islamic countries. They are openly talking about the rights of Muslims, economic boycotts, and removing (Indians) from jobs in the name of religion. Hindu religion is the only one that can be mocked and abused without any punishment, rather there is a reward for it." A Delhi BJP Yuva Morcha office-bearer Abhishek Dubey tweeted that many insulted Lord Shiva but no action was taken against them. "Although I do not support humiliating any religion because everyone follows their faith. Many big responsible people have also humiliated Lord Shiva but were any action taken on anyone ??" Dubey asked.
Several other Delhi BJP leaders including a few office bearers of the state unit said rather than "shock", the action against 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.