Kuwait parliamentarians have demanded that Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) members from India be barred from entering Kuwait. The 12 MPs, led by Salih al-Diab Shalahi MP, submitted a letter to Speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem raising this demand.
In a letter, the MPs alleged that the Muslim minority in India is being persecuted and demanded that the ban on entry be maintained until the end of the year.
The letter to Speaker Marzouk Al-Ghaneem was signed by 11 influential MPs in the Kuwaiti parliament. Salih al-Muttayri said. “In the letter, we have made it clear that BJP workers from India should not be allowed to enter Kuwait. The main reason is the violation of the human rights of the Muslim minority in India. We also intend to demand further bans if this issue is not resolved. Human rights groups have also stepped in to put more pressure on the BJP to prevent human rights abuses against minorities in India, especially Muslims.”
He said the political message given by Kuwaiti MPs should be taken seriously and the BJP should immediately stop human rights abuses against Muslims. A copy of the letter has also been posted on Twitter.
In monarchy Kuwait, political parties are banned but can run freely. There are fifty members in the National Assembly. The National Assembly of Kuwait is known as the strongest parliament in the Middle East.
Former Union Minister and MP Shashi Tharoor retweeted this tweet. “Domestic actions have international repercussions. I hear from friends across the Gulf of their dismay at rising Islamophobia in India & the PM’s unwillingness to condemn it, let alone act decisively against it. ‘We like India. But don’t make it so hard for us to be your friends’,” retweeted Tharoor.
The Indian Embassy in Kuwait came out against this tweet. The Indian embassy has alleged that Tharoor retweeted the tweet of a person who was awarded by the Government of Pakistan for his anti-India activities. “Sad to see an Hon’ble Member of Indian Parliament retweeting an anti-India tweet by a Pakistani agent who was recipient of a Pakistani Award ‘Ambassador of Peace’ for his anti-India activities. We should not encourage such anti-India elements. ” – Indian Embassy tweet.
Tharoor also took to Twitter to respond to the Indian embassy’s allegations. “I don’t endorse this individual, whom i’d never heard of, but am concerned about the sentiment he conveys, which is sadly shared by many who are friends of India. While accepting @indembkwt‘s view, I urge GoI not2give ammo to such anti-India elements by condoning misconduct here.” – Tharoor explained his position.