The BJP has suspended Nupur Sharma and expelled Naveen Kumar Jindal.
Qatar and Kuwait have summoned India's envoys and given them protest notes over the controversial remarks of two BJP leaders against Prophet Muhammad. India, seeking to defuse the row, said the remarks are the "views of fringe elements."The controversy flared last week after remarks by BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma on a TV debate and the party's Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal's now-deleted tweets.
The comments were criticised by Muslim groups in India and triggered violence in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh on Friday, injuring around 40 people.
Outrage over the remarks has spread in the Arab world with a trending Twitter hashtag calling for a boycott of Indian products in some countries. A Qatari minister said, “Systematic hate speech against Islam in India... will be considered insult by 2 billion Muslims.”
Facing a growing backlash, the BJP suspended Nupur Sharma and expelled Naveen Kumar Jindal. The party also issued a statement underscoring its respect for all religions and their revered figures.
Both BJP leaders said it was never their intention to hurt anyone's religious feelings. Ms Sharma withdrew her controversial statement made in the TV debate and claimed that her comments were a reaction to "continuous insult and disrespect towards our Mahadev (Lord Shiva)"
