Gandhinagar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will give a "fitting reply" if the Opposition makes hindutva an issue and "calls us communal", Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani said on January 4.

Addressing a Gujarat BJP executive meeting, he said, "India is predominantly a Hindu country and is secular only because of hindutva."

Advani made a scathing attack on Opposition for characterising BJP as "communal" and said, "If Opposition makes hindutva an issue and calls us communal, we will give a fitting reply."

The Deputy Premier, who talked on various issues ranging from cultural nationalism to secularism, strongly hit out at the "English media" for resorting to an "anti- BJP" campaign after Godhra carnage and its aftermath.

"We should be thankful to English media for their anti-BJP campaign, which ultimately resulted in a protest vote in favour of the party," he said.

However, he maintained that "surajya (good governance), security and development" will be the three poll planks of the BJP in all the ensuing elections.

PTI