BJP slams Gehlot for 'fanatic nationalism' remark

Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said: "I would like to ask Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Mr Gehlot what the definition of fanatic nationalism is."

"Do you mean the surgical strike was fanatic nationalism? Do you say attacking terrorists is fanatic nationalism?" he said.

Patra also referred to the Balakot air strike carried out by Indian Air Force on February 26 after Pulwama terror attack killing security personnel and wanted whether such a step was fanatic nationalism.

"If we were doing fanatic nationalism, then I would like to ask Mr Rahul Gandhi and Mr Ashok Gehlot what had stopped Congress to pursue the nationalism," he said.

The BJP spokesman said it is 'sad' the Congress party could not stand with the cause of nationalism.

"Whenever such a situation came, you stood with the Tukde Tukde gang," the BJP spokesman said referring to the Congress president and the opposition party backing those who raised anti-India slogans during protest in Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2016.

Earlier in the day, Mr Gehlot had said: "Although, it was very unfortunate to see that despite the failure of Modi government on various fronts including the depleting economy, BJP did manage to hide their huge failures behind their fanatic nationalism with help of enormous resources and government machinery at hand."

Mr Gehlot and other Congress CMs Amarinder Singh, Kamal Nath, Bhupesh Bhagel and V. Narayanaswamy met Rahul Gandhi at a two-hour long meeting with Mr Gandhi and urged the Congress president not to press for his resignation as the party chief.

He said the BJP never counseled the Congress to "back fanatic nationalism".

"Our party BJP has always stood by nationalism and we will continue to do so," Mr Patra said.