Surat: Senior Congress leader Dr Manmohan Singh on December 7 said Centre should prepare a strategy in co-ordination with security wings and intelligence agencies to trace the hideouts of terrorist outfits, in order to stamp out the menace of terrorism.

"The earlier Congress governments at the Centre had tried to contain the menace as the situation warranted either in Punjab or Jammu and Kashmir during its four-decade long rule," Singh told reporters after undertaking campaign in the region.

Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives while countering terrorism, he said, adding that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre was not serious about the problem.

After the communal flare-up in Gujarat, the state economy was in doldrums, Singh opined and said the co-operative bank scams has shattered the faith of depositors in the governance.

"BJP should come out with a White Paper for people's welfare," he said and criticised the disinvestment policy of the Centre.

PTI