Prophet row: US condemns remarks by BJP’s Nupur Sharma, Naveen Jindal

Washington:  The US has said it condemns the controversial remarks made by two now-suspended BJP functionaries against Prophet Mohammad and encourages India to promote respect for human rights.
The BJP on June 5 suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their controversial remarks against the Prophet.
Amid protests by several Muslim countries and groups over the remarks, the party also issued a statement aimed at assuaging the concerns of minorities and distancing itself from these members, asserting that it respects all religions and strongly denounces the insult of any religious personality.
“Well, this is something that we’ve condemned. We condemn the offensive comments made by two BJP officials, and we were glad to see that the party publicly condemned those comments,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Thursday.
He was responding to a question by a Pakistani reporter.
“We regularly engage with the Indian government at senior levels on human rights concerns, including freedom of religion or belief,” he said.