Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Sunday that the central government was in favour of freedom of speech. Addressing the media on the second day of the Bharatiya Janata Party's national executive meet, Jaitley said that the people of the country have a right to dissent, but the Constitution does not allow for the destruction of the nation. He said that free speech and nationalism do necessarily coexist in the country, adding that the latter is the driving force of the BJP.

The finance minister said that the Centre's main focus is progressive governance, along with economic and social inclusion. Addressing the stalemate on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, Jaitley said that the BJP is still committed to the agenda for governance that was agreed with the Peoples Democratic Party in 2014. Jaitley also said that the BJP is looking to improve its performance in all five poll-bound states this year. Taking a dig at the Congress, he said that the party has lowered its political ambition. "The Congress is content with being the tailender of any alliance," he added.