Nupur Sharma will 'definitely come back' and fight 2024 Lok Sabha polls for BJP, says Owaisi

New Delhi: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said that suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nupur Sharma will "definitely come back" and contest 2024 Lok Sabha polls for the saffron party. Nupur Sharma is a former national spokesperson of the BJP and was suspended from the party in June last year for her remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

In an interview with the news agency ANI on Monday (January 9, 2023), the Hyderabad MP said that he will not be surprised if she is made a candidate from Delhi in the upcoming general elections.

"She will definitely come back and fight elections for BJP," Owaisi said.

"BJP will definitely use her. I will not be surprised if she is made a candidate from Delhi in the Lok Sabha elections," he added. 

Nupur Sharma's comments on the Prophet had drawn ire from across the nation and abroad. The comments had also reportedly led to several violent incidents, including the beheading of a shopkeeper by two men in Rajasthan's Udaipur for backing her remarks.

Sharma had later withdrawn her comments and in a statement posted on Twitter, said that her intention was not to hurt anyone.

pic.twitter.com/Cl0aAqkwgN — Nupur Sharma (@NupurSharmaBJP) June 5, 2022

Reacting to Udaipur beheading. Owaisi said, "Incidents like the Udaipur beheading should be condemned. I am against slogans like `Sar Tan Se Juda`. I openly condemn it. Such a statement instigates violence. I am against violence."

He also questioned how many days Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government took to react to Sharma's statements. 

"It is not the first time Nupur Sharma had come on a television channel. She made controversial remarks on a Hindi news channel before as well. I am against the threats used against her," Owaisi said.

"Whatever she said is absolutely wrong," he added. 

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Reacting to Sharma's apology, Owaisi said, "When did she apologise? She denied it but did not apologise, there is no clear-cut apology."

"She did not apologise. There is no clear-cut apology. Instead, there is a video, where she said that Amit Shah gave her confidence by saying 'we are with you'. She took the names of BJP leaders," Owaisi said.

"There is a bounty on her head by an international group. I condemn this bounty. BJP will not remove her I can say it on record," the AIMIM chief said.