Taking strong exception to the Bharatiya Janata Party equating him with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf for his remarks against the party's 'cultural nationalism' campaign, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh asked the BJP to define the phrase.
Reiterating that "cultural nationalism was nothing but cultural terrorism," Singh asked "whether [Deputy Prime Lal Kishenchand] Advani's rath yatra or bringing down the Babri mosque were examples of cultural nationalism, which triggered riots and communal tension and hatred all over the country".
Singh was reacting to BJP general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's charge that Singh was speaking the language of Musharraf, who had described the riots in Gujarat as Hindu terrorism.
Asking whether the riots in Gujarat could be put under the category of 'cultural nationalism', he said, "Such incidents have only proved that BJP's cultural nationalism was another face for creating tension and riots between the majority and minority community."
On the achievements of his government, Singh said stability in the state had brought unprecedented progress in every field of life and taken the state out of the category of 'BIMARU' states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh -- considered economically backward).
He said Madhya Pradesh was sixth among industrially developed states and seventh in direct foreign investment. It pioneered decentralisation of power and guided other states in empowering elected representatives.