The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday said controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen should be given Indian citizenship.

"Nasreen did not hurt the sentiments of any community, it were characters through which she exposed the plight of women in her novels and it was not her personal views," former Union minister and senior BJP leader C H Vidyasagar Rao told reporters in Hyderabad.

"The Centre should consider to give Taslima Indian citizenship, if such a request comes from her," he said.

Strongly condemning the outburst of National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah at Vijayawada on Saturday, Rao said it was the responsibility of the United Progressive Alliance government to provide protection to Taslima, who was given shelter in the country by the Centre.

On the NC patron's statement that there was a possibility of spreading of violence in other parts of the country if she stayed in the country, the BJP leader said: "It was a provocative statement."

"Instead of giving provocative statements, let us have a debate on her writings," Rao said.