As India witnesses massive protests by the Muslim community over BJP's Nupur Sharma's controversial remarks about Prophet Muhammad, majority of Indians believe that the faceoff between the ruling BJP and opposition over the issue has vitiated the atmosphere, as per the findings of the survey conducted by CVoter on behalf of IANS on the issue.
During the survey, while 66.4 per cent of the respondents opined that the slugfest between the ruling party and opposition over the issue has created a polarised atmosphere in the country, 33.6 per cent of those who participated in the poll had a different take on the issue.
Interestingly, the majority of both NDA and opposition supporters said that the accusations and counter accusations made by the ruling party and opposition on the issue have led to a charged up atmosphere in the country.
According to the survey data, 64.7 per cent of the NDA voters and 67.8 per cent of the opposition voters believe that the differences between the opposition and BJP over the issue have aggravated the communal differences in the society.
The controversial statement of the BJP spokesperson in a TV Debate snowballed into a major controversy at the national and international level. Protests over the issue at several places in the country turned into communal violence.
Kanpur witnessed violent communal clashes between the two communities over blasphemy during a TV debate. At least 800 people were booked and dozens have been arrested. Also, India faced backlash from the Arab nations over the issue, prompting BJP to take action against its spokesperson.