Communalism, insurgency to be dealt with firmly: PM

NEW DELHI, Aug 31 (UNI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said his government was ready for dialogue with any group for redressal of grievances, but would deal firmly with communalism, extremism, separatism and insurgency and violence.

Faced with "terror tactics, the government will have no other option than to fight such groups and their ideology of hatred.

Extremism of any form, based on any divisive ideology, cannot be tolerated in any civilised, democratic society," the Prime Minister said in his inaugural address at a meeting of the National Integration Council.

However, there was no grievance, "howsoever extreme and desperate that cannot be redressed through democratic means" and dialogue, he said at the conference, convened after 13 years, to discuss "communal harmony through governmental action, education and media." The Prime Minister also asked all the political groups claiming to represent the interests of of various sections of the people to prove their popularity by participating in elections.

"Every political group that claito represent the interests of any section of our people must test and demonstrate its popularity through the institutions of our democracy," he said.

The one-day conference is being attended by Chief Ministers from various states and Union Territories, Union Ministers, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee, V P Singh and I K Gujral and Left leaders A B Bardhan and Prakash Karat.

In his welcome address, Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the government was committed to prevention of communal disturbances, speedy investigation of communal violence-related cases and dispensation of justice through special investigating machinery and courts and payment of compensation to victims.