The Hindu : National : A provocative act, says Prakash Karat

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Sunday, Apr 16, 2006

National

National

A provocative act, says Prakash Karat

S. Vijay Kumar

MADURAI: The bomb blasts inside the Jama Masjid in New Delhi on Friday isa provocative act meant to outrage religious sentiments and create communal disharmony, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat has said.

Talking to The Hindu here on Saturday, he said though there was no loss of life, the explosions had to be viewed seriously considering the malicious motive. "The authorities concerned should track down the culprits to uncover the conspiracy of targeting places of worship."

Mr. Karat said the blasts in Srinagar that killed five innocent persons were part of the terrorist violence aimed at disrupting the movement for peace and normality in Jammu and Kashmir.

Hold political dialogue

"While no efforts should be spared to curb such activities (of terrorists), the Central Government must step up its efforts to have a political dialogue with all the parties concerned. "You should talk to anybody who is willing to talk," he said.

On Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that unified commands and joint operations were essential to curb the menace of naxalites, he said, "as far as the CPI (Maoist) is concerned, it relies on violence and targets all democratic activities. They have to be tackled firmly. There is no way except strengthening security in the affected States."

Mr. Karat, however, said the problem of naxalism could not be curbed effectively unless the grievances of tribals in forest areas, who were exploited by landlords, contractors and others, were addressed.

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