New Delhi: Taking exception to Congress president Sonia Gandhi questioning the patriotism of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, the party today (May 7, 2004) said the day has still not come for Indians to learn patriotism from "some foreigner".

"The Congress may be dealing with a bankruptcy of leadership, but the people of the country have before them no shortage of nationalist leaders who have developed within the country itself," party spokesman and general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters.

"It is ironical that the very person who felt ashamed to accept Indian citizenship and due to political compulsions was forced to accept it after 14 years now speaks of patriotism," he said.

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Naqvi said it had been observed in the last few days that Sonia Gandhi was doling out certificates of patriotism and passing judgements about who is patriotic.