“There’ll be people who fish in troubled waters”: Jaishankar on row over Prophet remarks

Against the backdrop of the controversy over offensive remarks on Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by BJP's two former spokespersons, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said "sensibilities and the sensitivities of people were impacted" by the episode.

He, however, clarified that though many nations had raised concerns over the views expressed by Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, they "did appreciate that this was not the position of the (Indian) government".

Jaishankar said at a townhall event in Delhi on Saturday (June 18, 2022) that what was said was not the position of BJP which had made it "very clear in very strong terms" and took action against the duo.

"The countries not just in the Gulf, I would say even in southeast Asia some countries, who had concerns do appreciate that this was not the position of the government," Jaishankar said, our New Delhi correspondent reports.

"They (the countries that expressed concern) deal with us, they know what we are about … they know that these are not our views," he said.

"Once the party clarified its position, our expectation is that the people will understand that," Jaishankar said.

"There will be people who will fish in troubled waters. International relations is a very competitive game which is not played by Queensberry rules. There will be people who will try to get most out of it," the Indian Foreign Minister said without naming any country.

Asked why India should be lectured by countries that are not a patch on it in democratic terms, Jaishankar said he does not look at the whole issue in that manner.

"I am also a little sensitive to being lectured. But I would not take this issue as a lecture. I think this was an issue where the sensibilities and the sensitivities of people were impacted. So, they were articulating that," Jaishankar said.

Several Muslim-majority nations had expressed outrage and condemnation over the controversial remarks on the Prophet (PBUH).

BJP suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their controversial remarks.