New Delhi: Taking a serious view on the attack on Union Minister Tapan Sikdar in West Bengal, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on May 6 conveyed his unhappiness and anguish to state Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya and asked him to ensure no such incident recurs.

Advani called up Bhattacharya and told him that he was "unhapy and distressed" over the incident in which the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was injured.

He said he reminded the Chief Minister that even one week back he had asked him to ensure that there was no violence as Panchayat elections were taking place in the state.

"Violence has no place in democracy", Advani said and asked Bhattacharya that he saw no reason why violence could not be stopped.

Even in states afflicted with militancy, polls have been held peacefully, he said.

Pointing out that the workers of Bhattacharya's own Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) party were behind the attack on Sikdar, Advani asked the CM to ensure no such thing occurs again.

Advani said the Chief Minister also expressed unhappiness over the incident and assured that the government was taking steps to bring the culprits to book.

PTI