Vowing to take forward the "ideological battle" on nationalism, Union Minister Arun Jaitley today said BJP has won the first round as people who raised anti-India slogans till now have been forced to say "Jai Hind, if not Bharat mata ki jai".

BJP has won the first round of ideological challenge on nationalism by forcing people raising anti-India slogans to chant Jai Hind now: Fina

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 26, 2016

Earlier this month, Asaduddin Owaisi, the chief of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen or AIMIM, had scoffed at a suggestion by Sangh boss Mohan Bhagwat that Indians should chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Owaisi and lawmakers of his party said they are ready to say Jai Hind, but not Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

Raising the pitch on the issue, Mr Jaitley also took a swipe at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi who had visited JNU following an event where anti-India slogans had been raised and said,

"Some people are questioning the nationalism of Savarkar, who inspired lakhs and crores of countrymen. These very people are attending programmes of those who talk of breaking up India."

Here are some other note-worthy things Jaitley said while addressing the Executive Committee meeting of Delhi BJP while taking equal digs at Congress and AAP:

BJP's ideology is inspired by nationalism. It is a strange situation where talking about breaking the country is called freedom of expression. The law or Constitution does not permit this anywhere and it is happening in Delhi.

Congress is shrinking throughout India and the voters will turn PM Narendra Modi's slogan of 'Congress-free' India into a reality.

Modiji once called for a Congress-free India. Congress has already gone out of Arunachal Pradesh. It can lose its government in Uttarakhand any day. In upcoming Kerala and Assam elections there are clear signals that it will wind up.

"The Congress' aim these days is to be a tail-end of any political alliance. It is like the 10th or 11th batsman in a cricket match. In Bihar they allied with Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. In Tamil Nadu, they are seeking seats from DMK. Congress is the new tailender of every alliance.

Mainstream political parties practise mainstream politics. But Congress practices a politics of fringe...Only fringe political parties work to stall the progress of country.

AAP is a government of "confrontations rather than constructive work" and it added people who came out in favour of those who wanted to break India and are today wanting to crush opposition and democracy in Delhi.

Disillusionment against AAP government is rising and BJP should stand to gain from it and encash it. The politics of theatrics can be done only within limits.