US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that we condemn the derogatory remarks made by two (former) BJP office-bearers. Glad to see the party publicly condemned his statements. We encourage India to promote respect for human rights.
(Symbol Photo: PTI)
Washington: The US has said that it condemns the remarks made by two suspended and expelled BJP functionaries about Prophet Mohammad and encourages India to promote respect for human rights.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price, answering a question from a Pakistani journalist in his daily press conference on Thursday, said, “We have condemned it.” We condemn the derogatory remarks made by two (former) office-bearers of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and we are glad to see that the party has publicly condemned their statements.
“We continue to engage in regular dialogue with the Indian government at a senior level regarding human rights concerns, including freedom of religion or belief,” he said.
“We encourage India to promote respect for human rights,” Price said in response to a question. When the (US) Secretary of State was in New Delhi last year, he said that the Indian and American people believe in common values - dignity of man, respect for human beings, equality of opportunity and freedom of religion or belief.
He was referring to the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to India in July last year. Price said these are his core values of democracy and that Americans raise their voices in support of them around the world.
According to the report, Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan described the issue as a delicate subject and said that the dispute was discussed informally in the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India.
It is known that on June 5, BJP suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled Delhi unit spokesperson Naveen Jindal for remarks about Prophet Mohammad. Controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad were opposed by many countries.
Several Muslim countries and groups condemned the controversial remarks against the Prophet Muhammad, after which the BJP issued a statement to allay the concerns of minorities by distancing itself from the statements of these members. The party said that it respects all religions and condemns the insult of any religious figure.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said that India has the highest respect for all religions and the remarks made by BJP leaders do not reflect the views of the Government of India.
(with input from news agency language)
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