Pakistanis are demanding strict action against a Hindu lawmaker from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for his alleged derogatory remark against Prophet Muhammad.
According to the details in the Indian media, T Raja Singh, a member of the legislative assembly in the southern state of Telangana, posted a video on social media while making a reference to the Holy Prophet and his marriage to Hazrat Ayesha. The comments hurt the sentiments of Muslims.
Hundreds of Muslims in India protested against Singh on Monday evening after the video appeared on social media. The protests took place in front of city police commissioner CV Anand’s office and other parts of town.
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Moreover, Raja Singh was booked by the police on Tuesday for making alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad. However, he was released on bail. BJP also took strict action and suspended Raja Singh. The party has given him 10 days to reply to show cause on why he shouldn’t be expelled.
Pakistan’s reaction
#ArrestandHangRajaSingh is among the top Twitter trends in Pakistan as members of the civil society condemn the remarks and question why the BJP leaders continue to make derogatory remarks against the Prophet.
To clarify, in June, two senior members of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal made disrespectful remarks about the Prophet (PBUH) that offended Muslims. India faced intense diplomatic backlash and worldwide condemnation, after which it distanced itself from the BJP leaders. However, now another BJP leader has insulted the Holy Prophet.
When will this stop @OIC_OCI ? We can't tolerate insult of our Holy Prophet pbuh anymore . This goon has insulted our Holy Prophet pbuh . Muslims in India aren't you watching all this ??? #ArrestAndHangRajaSing pic.twitter.com/y5pHWYzqkw
— Momina Basit (@MominaBasit1) August 24, 2022
https://twitter.com/CHGHULAMHUSAlN/status/1562305050910883840?s=20&t=ZyhkPRPsV4X393oZBHnCWw
Government of India should arrest him and punish him publicly. V shameful act. #ArrestAndHangRajaSing
— ZiaHayat1971ⁱᴾⁱᵃⁿ (@ZiaHayat71) August 24, 2022
Reacting to Raja Singh’s derogatory remarks, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar pointed out that the token and perfunctory disciplinary action taken by the BJP against the said official cannot assuage the pain and anguish caused to the Muslims of India and around the world.
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Asim Iftikhar also condemned the release of lawmakers hours after the arrest, saying that it is highly reprehensible that the BJP official was released on bail within hours of arrest and was welcomed by BJP zealots.