Congress corners Jaitley over 'nationalism' remark

NewDelhi [India], Mar. 2 (ANI): Slamming Union Finance Minsiter Arun Jaitley's 'nationalism' remark, the Congress Party on Thursday asked as to why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is portraying itself as the champion of nationalism, while asserting that it is neither the custodians nor inheritors. "Since when has the BJP and RSS become the champions of nationalism. Today they are maculating that they are the nationalist that is an insult to those who respects the contribution of India's leaders during the freedom struggle," Congress leader Anand Sharma told ANI. Stating that nationalism is celebrated in India and is not a question of good and bad, Sharma said, "We are proud nationalist. The leaders of the freedom struggle who gave people of India the freedom after centuries of colonialism and subjugation led by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel were all nationalist. They contributed in building of the modern India and giving us a Constitution which ensures equality and liberty." In the wake of the furore created over the All India Students Association (AISA) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) engaging into a scuffle over cancellation of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid's talk at Delhi University's Ramjas College, Jaitley earlier in the day said that nationalism is a bad word only in India. "Nationalism is considered a bad word only in India; otherwise, it is a good word," he said, while addressing a press conference in Varanasi. (ANI)