Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. (File Photo: IANS)
New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday asserted that the BJP was open to political opposition but will never tolerate any anti-national thought process.
"We expect political opposition as a normal course but at any cost, we cannot tolerate any anti-national thought process," he told reporters in a briefing on the discussions in the two-day BJP national executive meeting here.
He said unlike other parties, the BJP was a different political party and was clear about its priorities and commitment.
"On three grounds -- leadership, policy and ideology -- we are different. We have a decisive leadership, progressive policies and nationalistic ideology," he said.
Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the ideology of "nationalism" guides the party's belief and that chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" was an issue which should not be debated at all.
"We believe that this is one issue on which there should be no debate. People in India should have absolutely no difficulty as far as this slogan is concerned and the best example we saw yesterday (Saturday) at Eden Gardens (during the India-Pakistan World Twenty20 match)," Jaitley said.
He also said that while the Constitution allows complete freedom to dissent and disagree, it does not permit destruction of the nation.
Rajnath Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address urged party workers to focus solely on development.
"The prime minister lauded the success of a Sufi conference in Delhi," he said.
"The prime minister said development is the only solution to all problems confronting the country," he added.
