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Centre, States must cooperate better to counter terror: PM

Vinay Kumar

“Common strand runs through attacks”

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday referred to the demand for creation of a federal agency to probe all terrorist incidents and said it could be a Central agency which could assist the States in investigation whenever a major terrorist incident took place.

Addressing the Governors’ Conference here on its concluding day, Dr. Singh stressed the need for ensuring better coordination and integration among the existing agencies for devising an effective counter-terrorism strategy. Most important, he said, was closer cooperation between the Centre and the States and among the States themselves. “This is particularly important today as there is a common strand running through each of the major terrorist incidents,” he added.

Both the President and the Prime Minister wanted the Governors to play a “pro-active” role as Chancellors of State universities. Dr. Singh urged them to advise their Chief Ministers on the importance of streamlining the Public Distribution System.

Expressing concern over maintenance of social peace, Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari asked the Governors to devote effort for the well-being of all sections of the public, particularly the weaker sections and the minorities. “Communalism of various hues is threatening the already fragile social fabric. Any selectivity in tackling it would be detrimental to the constitutional principles of equality and secularism,” the Vice-President said.

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