The inflammatory comments by BJP spokespersons about Prophet Mohammad snowballed into a major controversy inviting condemnation from countries in the Islamic world and widespread protests by the Muslim community within the country.
The country has been witnessing protests in several states demanding strict action against BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Protests at several places in the country turned violent after Friday prayers resulting in two deaths and hundreds of arrests.
The Yogi Government decided to act tough to teach a lesson to the alleged rioters and demolished houses of alleged masterminds of the violence.Accusations and counter accusations are being made by the ruling BJP and opposition parties over the whole episode.
As the controversy continues to unfold, majority of Indians believe that now the issue is being used by the political parties for their political gains, as per the findings of the nationwide survey conducted by CVoter on behalf of IANS on the issue.
During the survey, while 75 per cent of the respondents said that the issue of the controversial statement of Nupur Sharma is being used for political motives, only 25 per cent thought otherwise.Interestingly, majority of both NDA and opposition supporters opined that the issue has got politicised.
During the survey, while almost 80 per cent of the NDA supporters said that the issue is being used for political gains, 71 per cent of the opposition voters believed the same. Interestingly, the majority of respondents from all social groups belonging to different age groups opined that politics is being done on the issue.