People should take nationalism forward: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who was elected to Rajya Sabha on Friday, said on Saturday that people should take nationalism forward and bring up good leadership to fight terrorism.

Speaking at an event marking the launch of a BJP membership drive, he said "it is our weakness that people are taking advantage of our mutual differenes. We should take nationalism forward and bring up good leadership to combat terrorism."

The former Foreign Secretary said the BJP should take in good people which will benefit not only the party but the entire nation.

"I have worked in the foreign service for 40 years. I have seen the world and realised that there are some countries which have gone ahead of India in the last thirty years and felt that why can't we do the same. But I have also seen some countries which were behind us in the past have also moved ahead. I was upset that why were were lagging. There was shortcoming in India's vision in the past but now under the leadership of Modi Ji things are changing," Jaishankar said.

"The country can only move ahead if the citizens believe that it is their country and work towards developing it. You have seen a tremendous change in the last five years and this has left an impact on the recently- concluded elections," he said.

He also expressed gratitude to those who backed him in his election to Rajya Sabha in the poll held on Friday.

"It is a matter of pride that I am among you people. I express my gratitude for choosing me as a representative of Gujarat. I am a new member of the BJP," he said.

Apart from Jaishankar, Jugal Ji Thakor, the other BJP candidate, had won the Rajya Sabha election yesterday.