Amid a controversy over the recent the Jawaharlal Nehru University row, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday said freedom of expression does not give a right to call for the country's destruction, with the issue finding a pride of place in the political resolution adopted at its National Executive meeting in New Delhi.
The issue of nationalism continued to take the centre stage in the deliberations after party chief Amit Shah set the tone in his inaugural address on Saturday saying the BJP will not tolerate any attack on the nation, with the dominant mood in the BJP being to put the Congress in a corner on the issue.
Briefing the media on the resolution, Union Minister Arun Jaitley said "freedom of expression and nationalism do necessarily co-exist" and the Constitution gives full freedom for expressing dissent and disagreement, but not the country's destruction.
The finance minister, a key party strategist, also targeted Congress over its political strength, saying the main opposition party has "lowered" its stature and was "content to be a tail ender of any alliance" in states like Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Though issues of government formation in Uttarakhand, where Congress government is facing rebellion in its ranks, and Jammu and Kashmir did not come up for discussion at the meet, Jaitley said the resolution emphasised the party's commitment to the 'agenda of governance' in J&K.
Talks between the BJP and the Peoples Democratic Party for reviving their coalition government in the J&K have fallen through but the saffron party has insisted that its doors are not shut on its former partner but it will have to stop putting more conditions.
"There was a time when the country was being governed without any sense of direction. There was uncertainty and lack of purpose. Now we have a government with a determined leadership, nationalist policies and progressive governance," Jaitley said.
The resolution also spoke about economically and socially inclusive policies of the government, its thrust on infrastructure development and good governance, he said.
Asked if the Executive also discussed the row over the slogan 'Bharat mata ki jai', Jaitley said the party believes it is an issue over which there should be no debate and sought to buttress his point by referring to Saturday's Indo-Pak match where spectators reportedly raised the slogan after India's win.
The party leaders also deliberated over the upcoming assembly polls in five states with Jaitley saying BJP will score a "decisive victory" in Assam where it has stitched up a large alliance and improve its presence in other states.
"Our strength has risen a lot in Kerala," he said in a special mention of the southern state where it hopes to consolidate a share of Hindu votes to make its mark.
Wooing Dalit voters who will be crucial in the UP assembly polls scheduled early next year, the resolution highlighted government's efforts like building memorials for Babasaheb Ambedkar in Maharashtra and London where he had stayed or how entrepreneurs belonging to weaker section being given loans under Mudra scheme to develop an "institution of Dalit entrepreneurs".
The ongoing agitation over Jat quota in Haryana was not discussed at the meeting, Jaitley said.
On the Pathankot attack, the resolution praised the "quick" action to kill terrorists and contain damage.
The Naga accord and Indo-Bangladesh land transfer agreement and OROP deal for the ex-servicemen were also mentioned to highlight the government's successes.
Poverty alleviation was the focus of economic policies, it said, noting the high growth rate despite the global difficulties.
The declassification of Netaji files was also noted as a positive move by the Executive.
Asked about Uttarakhand crisis, Jaitley took a dig at the Speaker after his decision to consider the Budget passed with a voice vote "despite a majority of MLAs saying on the floor of the House that they are against it".
"This is the first time such a thing has happened when a failed bill has been considered pass," he said.
