President asks Naxalites to come for dialogue

Asking Naxalites to abandon the path of violence, President Pratibha Patil today said they must come to the negotiating table for working out a solution.

Addressing the nation on the eve of 64th Independence Day, she also said terrorism poses the biggest threat to global peace and to defeat it, all nations should come together and ensure that terrorists do not get sanctuaries and financial assistance.

“The proponents of extreme ideologies and the followers of Left Wing Extremism must abandon their path of violence. I call on them to join national efforts for growth and development,” she said in the address telecast on national television.

Maintaining that protracted development efforts will be required in the Naxal-affected areas, Patil hoped that everybody, including the civil society, will come forward and move the left wing extremists in this direction.

The President said nation-building demands the ability to work diligently and patiently, where the reward is the growth of the nation rather than personal promotion and it requires unity of purpose and the ability to focus on issues which unite.

“It requires a spirit of conciliation. This is possible when dialogue is chosen as the channel for communication. By listening to each other, respecting each other’s viewpoint and understanding one another, we can address issues before us,” she said.

Terming terrorism as the biggest threat to global peace, stability and security, the President said peace was essential, if prosperity was to be achieved and to defeat terror, all nations of the world must work collectively.

“So that terrorists have no sanctuaries, no training grounds, no access to financial resources, no infrastructural support, and no defenders of their ideology,” she said.

Patil said powers have been given to those in government for formulating policies and for implementation on the field and it should always be remembered that this power must be used in a responsible manner.

“Zero tolerance towards corruption and working with the highest standards of public service will definitely result in efficient governance systems and will have a multiplier effect on development and growth,” she said.