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Friday, Dec 01, 2006
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Maharashtra leaders appeal for peace

The need is for maintaining calm instead of resorting to violence, says Vilasrao Deshmukh

— Photo: Vivek Bendre

AGITATED: Dalit protesters clash with police in central Mumbai on Thursday. They were staging a `rasta roko' to protest the desecration of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's statue in Kanpur on Wednesday.

Mumbai/Nagpur: Political parties in Maharashtra on Thursday appealed for peace in the wake of the violent protests across the State for the second day over the desecration of an Ambedkar statue in Kanpur.

``What happened at Kanpur is condemnable. I can understand the flared-up sentiments of Dalits. But the need is for maintaining peace and calm instead of resorting to violence,'' Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said from Singapore where he is on a three-day visit.

Maharashtra has a progressive image, Mr. Deshmukh said, and asked the media and TV news channels to show restraint.

Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil also asked the people to maintain calm.

Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde and Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony.

``We ask the peace-loving citizens of Maharashtra not to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in the State and also communal harmony by resorting to violent protests in the wake of the desecration of a statute of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in Kanpur,'' the leaders told a press conference in Nagpur.

The saffron leaders on a day's visit to the Vidarbha region for electioneering for Chimur (Chandrapur district) and Daryapur (Amravati) by-elections, attributed the violence to ``total failure'' of the State machinery.

PTI

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