Home Minister P Chidambaram exchanged angry words in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with Opposition BJP, which objected to his statement on "Hindu militancy".

Trouble began when Chidambaram said the government would follow a "zero tolerance" policy for "Jihadi terrorism" or "Hindu militancy".

BJP's objection was why the Home Minister was refraining from using the term "Islamic terrorism" though he used the words "Hindu terrorism" during his reply to the debate on the internal security.

Interruptions by BJP angered Chidambaram who said, "I cannot modify my argument to please the BJP. My argument is that terrorism is inspired by religious groups - whether by Hindu religious groups or Islamic religious groups".

Chidambaram clarified he is not blaming the entire Muslim, Hindu or any other religion, adding terrorism "is inspired by religious fanatics."

After tempers cooled, the Home Minister appealed, "Please understand... it is a serious subject... I live with it 24 hours a day."

Chidambaram's heated exchanges with the Opposition came a day after two senior ministers - Pranab Mukherjee and C P Joshi - clashed with CPI-M and BJP.

Mukherjee, a veteran parliamentarian, had lost his cool after he was frequently interrupted in the Upper House by CPI-M member Brinda Karat during his reply on price rise.