In what pose a challenge for India amid row over remarks about the Prophet Mohammed, a Kuwaiti supermarket pulled Indian products from its shelves even as Iran became one of the Middle Eastern country to summon the Indian ambassador, according to news agency AFP.
Workers at the Al-Ardiya Co-Operative Society store piled Indian tea and other products into trolleys in a protest against comments denounced as "Islamophobic".
"We, as a Kuwaiti Muslim people, do not accept insulting the Prophet," Nasser Al-Mutairi, CEO of the store, told AFP.
Besides, an official at the chain said a company-wide boycott was being considered.
Shelves of spices and chilies and sacks of rice were covered with plastic sheets with printed signs in Arabic that read: "We have removed Indian products".
Comments by Bharatiya Janata Party spokeswoman Nupur Sharma have sparked furore among Muslims. Sharma's remarks during a televised debate last week were blamed for clashes in Uttar Pradesh and prompted demands for her arrest.
Meanwhile, Pakistan also joined Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Iran to condemn the remarks.
The Indian embassies in Kuwait and Qatar issued separate but identical statements on Sunday, saying the "offensive tweets" by individuals in India "do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the government of India", adding "these are the views of fringe elements." Sharma's comments, made in a TV debate nearly 10 days back, and Jindal's now-deleted tweets also sparked a Twitter trend, calling for a boycott of Indian products in some Arab countries.
While Sharma, who was a BJP national spokesperson, has been suspended from the party, Jindal, head of Delhi BJP media head, has been expelled from the party.
