Raipur: Launching an attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Union Agriculture Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh today (Apr 6, 2004) raked up her foreign origin issue as a reason to debar her from holding high posts, but refrained from extending the same rule to her children.

"I admit Gandhi is an Indian citizen, but she is not a 'bharatiya' and to become President or Prime Minister, one has to be an Indian," Singh said while addressing a press meet to mark the foundation day of BJP in Raipur.

However, when queried about the same rule being applied for the next generation Gandhis, he said, "We have no objections to Priyanka or Rahul (holding the high post)."

He admitted to being aware of her acceptance as "the 'bahu' of the country", but said, "It would be 'immoral' of her if she staked a claim for Prime Ministership."

Claiming that she had not been "accepted as a leader of Opposition even though Congress made her that", he accused the main Opposition party of "ignoring the spirit of the Constitution".

"The nuclear button cannot be given to a person who is not Indian," he quipped.

Emphasising that "no political party, other than BJP has any political ideology", Singh lauded achievements of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government's tenure and credited it with "having achieved overall development and taking steps to make the country debt-free".

"Not only has the GDP touched 10.4 per cent during October to December 2003, but also defence expenditure has been increased to the current Rs 66,000 crore from Rs 39,897 crore in 1998-99," he said.