The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, New Delhi

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday accused the Hindu nationalist leaders of riot-scarred Gujarat state of fueling tensions with Muslims ahead of elections there. At least 2,000 Muslims were killed in widespread riots in the western state in 2002 after Hindu pilgrims were killed in a train fire. The state government and police allegedly supported the riots. Ahead of polls on December 11 and 16, the state's hard-line chief minister, Narendra Modi, has been accused of trying to score Hindu votes by justifying the alleged murder of a Muslim man by police in 2005. The state government "has sought to divide the people," Premier Singh told a news conference in Gujarat's Surat city. "I think that is a big handicap for Gujarat to move forward," the prime minister said, adding it was "not good for any political party to divide our country on communal lines."