PM concerned over challenge posed by extremists

New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) Voicing concern over the challenge
posed by proponents of extremist ideologies through
intimidation and terror, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on Tuesday said steps need to be taken to tackle this "grave
menace".
"The growth of extremist ideologies is threatening
civilised existence. The proponents of such ideologies are
challenging the tenets of democracy and representational
politics by resorting to intimidation, terror and other
manifestations of intolerance," he said.
Singh was inaugurating a Conference of Speakers and
Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) being attended
by 50 Speakers and Presiding Officers of 42 Parliaments in
Commonwealth countries, including Pakistan. Lok Sabha Speaker
Meira Kumar is Chairperson of the Conference.
The Prime Minister said, "We should not and cannot give
any quarter to such forces. At the same time we should look at
ways and means by which such forces can be eliminated without
undermining our democratic foundations."
He said this will require sustained international effort
and cooperation and expressed the hope that the deliberations
at the conference would give "new insights on how we can
tackle this grave menace".
Singh also spoke about the growing number of regional and
sub-regional parties in the country and a concomitant rise in
coalition politics.
This, he said, was the manifestation of deepening of
democratic representation with more and more sections of the
electorate gaining a political voice. (More) PTI