Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore made a controversial remark about extending support to Pakistan in the event of war with the United States, which has triggered a political storm among opposition parties. The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched sharp attacks on the BJP, questioning its nationalism.
This follows a purported video shared by AAP and Congress social media handles, in which Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore can be heard saying, “If there is a war between America and Pakistan, I will stand with Pakistan, because it is our neighbour.”
The Opposition did not wait, and the Congress called out the "BJP’s love for Pakistan."
“Yes, BJP will side with that very Pakistan which orchestrated the murder of Indian citizens. Treason runs through every vein of BJP folks,” the Congress posted.
Sharing the BJP leader's video, the party wrote, “When the public asks questions, they're Pakistani; when youth raise their voices, they're terrorists! But when a BJP leader talks about standing with Pakistan, where does Modi's nationalism disappear to? Is the BJP, which talks about standing with Pakistan, a traitor or not, Mr Modi?”
However, Madan Rathore issued a clarification on Friday.
Madan Rathore Issues Clarification
Rathore said his remarks were made during a program organized on the birth anniversary of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, where members of the Muslim community were present.
"Yesterday was the birth anniversary of former President Abdul Kalam. There was an event marking the occasion, where workers of the Muslim community were present. I remarked that patriotism is essential—for instance, if India were to play a cricket match against Pakistan and, unfortunately, India were to lose, then anyone who bursts firecrackers in celebration is not a patriot. I further added that if, for example, America were playing against Pakistan, that would be a different matter; if it (the sport) is being taken as a war, this is unfortunate. It seems someone has propagated this to cause me harm. If you listen to my actual words--the full statement--everything will become clear. One must also consider the context," he said.
Rathore said, "Someone has taken a 2-second or 8–10-second clip and presented it out of context. There is a conspiracy here."
"Our relationship with Pakistan is one of hostility; they breed terrorism and provide training to terrorists. They orchestrate conspiracies and carry out attacks against us—how could we possibly coexist with them? We never could," he added.
Rejecting suggestions that he had backed war, he said, "Our stance is absolutely clear. But to take a comment regarding a cricket match and twist it in this manner – that is simply wrong. It was explicitly about a cricket match... There was no mention of war whatsoever. The statement was about a match—a cricket match."
The controversy erupted after Rathore, while addressing a program in Jaipur on Thursday, said that India would support Pakistan if a conflict broke out between the United States and Pakistan, citing the two countries' neighboring relationship.
"We all need to understand this. Look, Hindustan... yes, I say this--that today, if something happens between America and Pakistan, then we are with Pakistan because they are our neighbour. Right? We will have to understand this point. But if something happens between us (India and Pakistan), then we are with our Bharat (India). Right? We all need to understand this," Rathore had said.
During the same program, the Rajasthan BJP chief also spoke about patriotism, national unity, and the need to strengthen citizens.
He said every citizen should become strong, prosperous, and patriotic, adding that people needed to develop a sense of national spirit to make the country stronger.
BJP Defends Rathore
The Rajasthan BJP unit defended Rathore, saying his statement had been distorted and presented in a manner that did not reflect the intended context.
In a post on X, BJP Rajasthan wrote, "The statement I made was in the context of the cricket match between India and Pakistan, but my statement was distorted and presented in a way that is absolutely not appropriate."