The Congress party on Monday took strong exception to President A P J Abdul Kalam's reference to the Gujarat election in his address to the joint sitting of Parliament on the opening day of the Budget session.

Chief Congress spokesman S Jaipal Reddy said the Bharatiya Janata Party was openly toeing the Hindutva line, and other National Democratic Alliance members have become "mute spectators."

"We generally do not protest against inclusion of issues in the presidential address. But today there was a highly partisan reference to the election in Gujarat. We all know that the President has no freedom and this document is prepared by the Cabinet and therefore we are not finding fault with the President, but with the government," he said.

Reddy pointed out that though other assembly elections were also held last year, the government deliberately made a reference to the Gujarat polls. He insisted that the campaign in Gujarat was "fascist and communally divisive."

"Mr Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders ran an absolutely fascist campaign, which was in total contravention of the constitutional norms, democratic decency and parliamentary parameters," Reddy alleged. "To refer to the Gujarat election results as a victory of democracy is an insult of political observers of the country."

Asked whether he was not accepting the verdict of the people, Reddy said, "While elections results are legally binding on everyone, election results do not legitimise the electoral malpractice. People in Gujarat were divided in a cynical and brazen manner on communal lines. Even the President paid a visit to Gujarat after assuming office… and that indicates the concern for the poisonous atmosphere in the state."

Reddy described the government's request to the Supreme Court to expedite the judicial process in the Ayodhya issue as "highly partisan." He, however, clarified his party was for the smooth settlement of the issue. But he contended that since the title suit was pending in the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court, there was "no need" for the government to place a request before the apex court.

Reacting strongly to the Gujarat government's allegation that a police probe had unearthed the involvement of three Congress leaders in a sex racket, Reddy claimed, "The charges are not only baseless, but also malicious. This is the job of the dirty tricks department of the Narendra Modi government. And, these charges are being deliberately cooked up to influence the voters in Himachal Pradesh."