NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a veiled attack at saffron forces for the anti-Christian violence in Orissa and Karnataka, calling an "assault" on the country's composite culture.
"Recent tragic events in Orissa, Karnataka and Assam have pained all right-thinking persons. There are forces deliberately encouraging such tendencies and also spawning militant outfits who engage in irrational violence. These need to be firmly dealt with," he said in his opening remarks at the NIC meeting.
On terrorism, which was included in the agenda after BJP chief ministers made a demand, he said that there can be no compromise with terrorism or terrorists.
"At the same time, it is important that in trying to counter terrorism, wrong methods are not adopted. Any impression that any community or sections among them are being targeted or that some kind of profiling is being attempted should be avoided. This is vital, as otherwise it could lead to a major polarisation in society," Singh said.
