Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday cautioned the state governments to ensure that anti-terror measures should not lead to polarisation of society.
Updated at 3 pm
NAINITAL: A grim warning about "further intensification" of terrorist attacks involving greater use of fidayeen elements to target religious, economic and other "sensitive objects" was the centrepoint of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's address to the conclave of Congress chief ministers here on Saturday.
The two-day meeting is being attended by Singh, several Union Ministers, 14 Congress chief ministers and senior party leaders.
He told the chief ministers to tone up the intelligence machinery in the states, concentrate on "actionable" intelligence and make the entire bureaucracy accountable.
At their two-day conclave presided by Congress President Sonia Gandhi here, he talked about the internal security situation mainly the issues of terrorism, communal tension and Naxalism.
He said the activities of externally-sponsored terror outfits were "equally worrisome" as their involvement in the country has grown.
"The concern is that there could be a further intensification involving greater use of fidayeen elements and targeting of a wider range of religious, economic and sensitive objects," Singh told the chief ministers of 14 Congress-ruled states.
He termed as disconcerting reports that suggest the existence of a number of terrorist modules and sleeper cells in some urban areas that provide the backup for foreign terrorist outfits.
He rejected the "erroneous linkage" made by the West in tarnishing the image of the Muslim community due to the actions of a few. He said that "pro-active" efforts were needed to address the underlying sense of insecurity among sizeable sections of this minority.
Singh said state governments should lay more emphasis on integration of rural India with economic development of the country by focusing on agriculture, drinking water and electrification of villages.
Expressing concern over the growth rate of agriculture, he told the states to make special efforts to ensure that schemes chalked out under the Bharat Nirman programme for uplift of rural India were effectively implemented.
Noting that targets set under Bharat Nirman programme had exceeded in the first year of its implementation, he cautioned the main challenges lay in the next two years.
Describing as "worrisome" the activities of externally-sponsored terror groups, Singh warned of a spurt in suicide attacks targetting religious, economic and sensitive institutions in the country.
Expressing anguish over terrorist attacks in the country, Sonia Gandhi cautioned the state governments to ensure that anti-terror measures should not lead to polarisation of society and no community should feel being under siege because of such actions.
She said there should be no compromise on internal security and all states should have fully motivated forces to combat terrorism.
Observing that the terror attacks in different parts of the country were a cause of "serious concern and anguish", she said the anti-terror measures should not lead to polarization of society and no community should feel being under seige.
The Congress president also spoke about Singh's recent peace moves with Pakistan, but expressed concern over terror strikes being carried out in Jammu & Kashmir by Pakistan-based outfits.
Recalling the Congress' support to the previous National Democratic Alliance government, she said as a political party Congress has always advocated dialogue with Pakistan even while being in Opposition.
Sonia insisted that the coalition government in Jammu & Kashmir was maintaining the tempo of development and that measures have been taken to increase people-to-people contacts across the Line of Control.
On the naxal problem, the Congress chief said the Centre should take a "more pro-active" role in dealing with it. The administration in tribal areas has to be more responsible in dealing with naxalism, a problem that she termed as a socio-economic and law and order issue.
Describing the spate of farmers suicides as a challenge to the nation's collective conscience, she said a package would soon be announced for states confronting the problem.
Sonia said farmers must get proper compensation and they be made stake-holders in projects coming up on their lands.
She emphasised that the system of land administration needs "complete overhaul" and new tenancy legislation in connection with the land holding should be in place.
Defending the government's decision to import wheat, she said procurement needs immediate attention and the public distribution system has to be strengthened.
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