BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav Monday alleged that opposition leaders in the country have endorsed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments on the Indian leadership.

“Today, when Modiji’s government took a tough decision against atrocities committed in Kashmir by Pakistan… when Imran Khan, who just the other day assumed power with the mercy of the Army, speaks improper things, opposition leaders in India are endorsing it,” he said.

He was speaking at a book release function organised by Pragna Bharati, an organisation working on social and political issues.

“We may have 100 differences. You fight with us. You continue lies about Rafale. But when it comes to respecting India’s constitutional head of the government, he is the Prime Minister of 125 crore Indians,” Madhav said, slamming the opposition.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had said on Sunday that his country’s offer of “friendship” to India should not be considered as its weakness and the Indian leadership should shun “arrogance” to hold peace talks.

Khan had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking to re-start bilateral talks on key issues, including talks on tackling terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

India initially agreed to a meeting between Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this month.

However, New Delhi on Friday called off the meeting, after the “brutal” killing of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the release of the postal stamps “glorifying” terrorist Burhan Wani.

Ram Madhav said BJP had expressed strong disapproval when former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made “improper” comments on the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2013.

“As the opposition at that time, we stood up and said we are with Manmohan Singh. We have 100 differences with him. But he is the Prime Minister of India. He is the Prime Minister for 125 crore Indians, how dare Nawaz Sharif insult him,” he recalled.

Madhav said that the present opposition is not able to imbibe Indian values of self-respect, among other things.

In an apparent reference to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, he alleged that “eternally young leaders are not able to imbibe such Indian values.” “Eternally young leaders are not able to imbibe this Indian value. Young leader when I was spokesperson (for RSS) 10 years ago. ‘Yuva neta’… ‘Yuva neta’ in 2018 also. Eternally young,” Madhav said.

Madhav also said that the opposition parties are trying to form a ‘Maha gathbandhan’ (grand alliance) without any agenda and that their only aim is to prevent the BJP from coming to power.

“Unable to stop this wave of nationalism, not having the courage to face that, those opposed to nationalist forces are trying to stop by forming a group and naming it as ‘Mahagathbandhan’… No self-respect. No concern for the nation. No agenda,” he said.

Speaking about demonetisation, the BJP leader said, it was necessary to take such a strong measure in order to improve the economy and to eradicate corruption and black money.

“Maybe it was not very popular. But it was very essential,” he said.

“Indians are very intelligent. They saw to it that the entire black money reached banks in some form or the other. But the opposition… said demonetisation failed. What they didn’t realize is 30 per cent black money was there, today zero black money in India… Everything is in banks. Everything is accounted for,” he said.

He urged the gathering to build a nationalist discourse on the principles of ‘Swadesh bhakti’ (patriotism and devotion for motherland), ‘Swadharma Nishta’ (commitment to own culture and belief) and ‘Swabhiman’ (self-respect).