The notion that the BJP is against Muslims and other minorities is completely false, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday, dropping an anecdote about him meeting with Iran’s former Supreme Leader, the late Ayatollah Khamenei.

"The BJP is not against any religion,” Gadkari told party workers in Nagpur, adding that the party is neither casteist nor communal and that opponents have tried to “defame” it for the past several decades.

“Our party believes people may have different ways of worship and that every person has a right to follow his or her religion. Despite having different ways of worship, we are all Indians. Our culture, history and heritage is one," he asserted.

He said misinformation was spread that the BJP was a party that belonged to a certain caste and that it was linked to those who killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Gadkari recalled an interview given by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to scriptwriter-poet Javed Akhtar in which Vajpayee was asked if secularism was in danger if BJP came to power in India.

"Vajpayee replied that India is secular and will always remain secular. He said it is so not because of the BJP-RSS but because of the culture, history and inclusiveness of the majority Hindu community," Gadkari told the gathering.

"Rashtriyatva, Bhartiyatva is Hindutva. Hindu is not caste, sect or religion. It is a way of life, which is inclusive. The real meaning of secularism is 'sarvadharma sambhav', which is that all religions and ideologies should be respected. The allegation that BJP is against Muslims or other minorities is completely false. BJP believes in the Indian tradition and belief of world welfare," Gadkari said.

He recalled his meeting as Union shipping minister with Khamenei while work on the Chabahar Port was underway in Iran. During a conversation, Khamenei asked him the origin of the Persian language, Gadkari said.

When he replied that he did not know, it was Khamenei who said Persian originated from Sanskrit, Gadkari added. Khamenei also told him that his ancestors were from a village near Lucknow, the senior BJP leader added.