The BJP will not go back on its core ideology of Hindutva in wake of the jolt it suffered in the recent general elections, a senior leader said in Hyderabad on Thursday.
"There is no question of going back on our ideology. We should not change it because of the electoral setback," Venkaiah Naidu told reporters.
The BJP leader made the statement when asked whether the party would review its Hindutva ideology and commitment to issues like common civil code and Article 370 in the wake of its dismal performance at the hustings.
BJP president Rajnath Singh and senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi had earlier clarified that the party need not give up its ideology or sever ties with the Sangh Parivar in wake of the poll defeat.
Naidu said BJP shares an "eternal relationship" with RSS, which he described as a "cultural and national organisation."
Hindutva is not a political or religious issue but a way of life in the country, passed on from generations, he said.
On BJP president Rajnath Singh's recent directive to the party leaders, he said the party president has not issued any gag order but only reminded that internal issues have to be discussed in party forum.
"There are no restrictions on anyone. BJP national executive meeting would take place on June 20 and 21. People will have the chance to ask questions," he said.
Dismissing reports that the BJP was gripped by crisis, the former party president said that they would analyse the reasons for its debacle and emerge successful eventually.
"Problems will always be there in a democratic party. We have a system to discuss the issues. There is no crisis in the BJP. We will identify shortcomings and make efforts to be successful," he said.
"The problems before the party are not insurmountable. After all, the 100-year-old Congress had won 114 seats once. We had only two seats in 1984 but we won 182 seats subsequently. BJP has the capacity to bounce back," he said.
Asked about Indo-Pak relations, he said, there is no point in resuming peace process with the neighboring nation without it taking constructive measures to containing terror against India.
"We are concerned about cross-border terrorism against India. We will see how the Indian government would deal with it. No meaningful purpose will be served if Pakistan fails to walk the talk on taking action against terror infrastructure in the country," Naidu said.
