Hyderabad, February 23: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lanka Dinakaran on Sunday lashed out at Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and said Congress party is slowly eroding the Indian culture and traditions and are running behind Italy. His remark comes after Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday stated that nationalism and the slogan of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' were being misused to construct a militant and purely emotional idea of India that excludes millions of residents and citizens.

"Congress party is slowly eroding our culture, traditions, customs and running behind Italy. But, we all proud to say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'," the BJP leader said. "It is unfortunate that Former Prime Minister recognised those who chant to pay tribute the glory of our motherland as a tendency of militant, but our responsibility is to honour our motherland with a purity of mind without any conditions," Dinakaran said.

Dr Singh had described Nehru as a great visionary and said India's first Prime Minister laid the foundation for shaping India as a modern nation-state. In reply to Singh's earlier comment, the BJP leader said, "It is unfortunate that Manmohan Singh thinks that our county's history had started from Nehru family. The culture, traditions and customs of our country had emerged before Mughals and British. We recognise the sacrifices of thousands and lakhs the unnoticed heroes in the freedom struggle."

Further, slamming the Congress, Dinakaran said, "We are unlike the Congress, which uses Mahatma Gandhi as a political opportunity, We show him as a role model for Swacha Bharath and we recognise Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Veer Savarkar as the role models to our nation along with Mahatma Gandhiji." The leader also stated that chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" is a privilege.