New Delhi: Declaring that government wanted free, fair and peaceful elections in Gujarat, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on November 18 asserted in the Lok Sabha that India can never be converted into a Hindu state and said the people would neither condone communal violence nor tolerate pseudo-secularism.

"BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and other related organisations should see that the elections are free and fair and that good governance and safety of minorities are key poll issues," he said replying to a daylong debate on an Opposition-sponsored adjournment motion on the communal situation in the country, especially Gujarat.

The motion, moved by Subodh Rai of CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist), was defeated by a voice vote.

Observing that a new government in Gujarat would be in place before Parliament's winter session ends, Advani said the Godhra carnage under no circumstances should be made an election issue as emphasised by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

In this regard, he quoted a recent statement by Chief Minister Narendra Modi who said he stood for an educated, irrigated and electrified Gujarat.

While stating that the communal riots and the killing of innocent people earlier this year were a "blot" on the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government, Advani rejected the Opposition charge that minorities in the state were not safe.

"This is a big injustice being done to the people of Gujarat by our detractors who are frequently making such allegations," he said, dismissing a remark by Congress Chief Whip P R Dasmunsi that his statement was "loaded".

Maintaining that there were people in the Opposition who wanted to project that there were differences between him and Vajpayee, Advani asserted "we have walked together for long and will continue to do so".

PTI