Date:31/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/31/stories/2008103162231200.htm

National

Centre fails to protect secular fabric: Karat

New Delhi: Attacking the United Progressive Alliance government for failing to protect the secular fabric of the country, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Thursday said public institutions like the police were getting “paralysed and communalised.”

Addressing a seminar on “Challenges to the Republic” here, he also noted that terrorism and communalism were equally damaging the country and that these scourges, whoever “sponsors” them, should be rooted out.

Mr. Karat said:

“We are now witnessing the undermining of the secular basis of the country. There is a much greater danger as the state and its institutions themselves are getting affected.

“What we see is outright attack on minorities but police are not acting in time ... There is a failure to intervene. Institutions like the police are being paralysed or infected by communalism,” the CPI(M) leader said noting that it was a “dangerous” situation.

He alleged that the UPA government was unable to protect the secular fabric of the country and failed to intervene in time. — PTI