The Hindu : National : Buddhadeb apprises Manmohan of security threat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 12, 2005

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National

Buddhadeb apprises Manmohan of security threat

By Our Special Correspondent

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, with the Union Water Resource Minister, Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, the West Bengal Governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the Union Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, and other State Congress leaders on arrival at the Kolkata Airport on Tuesday. — PTI

KOLKATA, JAN. 11. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, was today apprised by the West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, of the security threat to the eastern part of the country with Bangladesh being used as a springboard to foment militancy in the region. The two met at the Raj Bhavan for about an hour after Dr. Singh arrived in Kolkata on a two-day visit to the city.

Mr. Bhattacharjee had, on earlier occasions, expressed concern over the activities of operatives of the Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) in the region who are alleged to be providing covert support to militant outfits such as the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) operating in parts of north Bengal and Assam. These outfits are suspected to have links with Maoist extremists in Nepal.

Effective system sought

Later in the day, Dr. Singh reiterated his appeal to scientists of the country to come up with an effective system to caution the country of impending natural calamities. But, he added, "a free and effective media is our best early warning system" not only for national disasters but also for social and economic crises.

The Prime Minister was inaugurating the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Press Club, Kolkata.

On people's response to the tsunami tragedy, Dr. Singh said a fortnight's contribution to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund amounted to nearly a year's contribution towards relief in the aftermath of the Gujarat earthquake in 2001.

Dr. Singh said that the years ahead would be "an exciting time to be in India" but admitted that though "many commitments we as a people have made to ourselves [we] have not fully realised our development potential. But never have we been better poised to take advantage [of our situation]. The nation was in a "crucial juncture" to build a "modern, progressive, inclusive and dynamic society."

"Even today Kolkata remains the cultural and intellectual capital our country.... and I urge you to recapture the frontiers of intellectual activity," Dr. Singh said.

The Prime Minister also visited the residence of Netaji in south Kolkata, describing it as a "pilgrimage" and a moment of inspiration.

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