Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the Bharatiya Janata Party has won the first round of the “ideological battle” on nationalism since people who raised anti-India slogans are now saying Jai Hind, if not Bharat Mata ki jai. Addressing the party’s Delhi Executive Committee meeting, Jaitley said, “It is a strange strange situation where talking about breaking the country is called freedom of expression. The law or Constitution does not permit this anywhere.” Jaitley’s remarks come during an ongoing controversy over sedition laws in the country and reports of “anti-national” behaviour at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. They also follow the Maharashtra Assembly’s decision to suspend All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen legislator Waris Pathan after he refused to say Bharat Mata ki jai.

Jaitley also took the opportunity to indirectly criticise Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who had expressed his support for the JNU students charged with sedition. The finance minister said, “Some people are questioning the nationalism of [freedom fighter Veer] Savarkar, who inspired lakhs and crores of countrymen. These very people are attending programmes of those who talk of breaking up India.” Gandhi had recently criticised Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue Savarkar. Jaitley criticised Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party as well, and said it was a government “of confrontations rather than constructive work”. The party’s meeting in Delhi comes ahead of elections in four states and one union territory this summer.