New Delhi, Aug. 27 : Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has described the attempts to vilify India''s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru for his role during the Partition, as a malicious campaign to distort history.

In an interview to a news agency, Mukherjee made sarcastic references to senior BJP leader L K Advani''s controversial visit to Pakistan in 2005 and Jaswant Singh''s book on Jinnah and said they should explain the psychology behind glorifying Jinnah.

"BJP leaders should explain. When Advani will go to Pakistan, he will discover that Jinnah is secular. Jaswant Singh suddenly discovered that he was not responsible ( for Partition). He wanted a united India. These are not historically correct," he said.

"This is mudslinging and vilification. An attempt is being made to vilify Jawaharlal Nehru by accusing him of being responsible for the Partition of India. This is a malicious campaign completely ignoring the facts pertaining to the Partition and an attempt to distort history for narrow partisan interest," Mukherjee said.

The minister said BJP owed an explanation to the people on what prompted their leaders to distort history and vilify Nehru, who was an architect of modern India.

"He (Nehru) left behind a strong, secular and democratic nation, which is today the largest parliamentary democracy in the world. He has his own place in history and no irresponsible comment could alter his place in history," Mukherjee said. (ANI)