New Delhi: Describing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the Godhra incidents as "painful", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (Jun 12, 2004) said that an environment should be created so that such things are not repeated.

Singh made the remarks after paying obeisance at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib.

Singh, who was accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur, said that he understood the "pain and anguish" of Sikhs and emphasised that "such incidents should never occur again".

He also deplored the Gujarat riots. "These are painful incidents," he said, emphasising on the need to create an atmosphere wherein such incidents do not take place again.

Singh appealed to all sections of the society to help maintain peace and harmony in the country and usher in a "new dawn of prosperity".

"In the comity of nations, India should again become the 'golden bird'," Singh said.

Reciting a couplet from Guru Gobind Singh's verses, he said he would not hesitate in sacrificing even his life in the interest of the country.