Porbander: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today (Mar 30, 2004) started the second leg of his 'Bharat Uday Yatra' from Porbander, saying India's secularism came from its faith in 'hindutva'.

"The roots of India's secularism lie in 'hindutva' that has not allowed the country to become a theocratic State," he told a rally.

Addressing the rally after visiting Kirti Mandir, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, Advani said, "Even as Pakistan became an Islamic State after Partition in 1947, we did not allow any discrimination on the basis of religion. And it is due to our faith in 'hindutva'."

"People say BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) workers are proud to be Hindu, Mahatma Gandhi was also proud to be a Hindu. Swami Vivekananda and his guru Ramakrishna Paramhans also thought similarly. However, they not only preached secularism in principle, but also practised it," Advani said.