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Sonia wants all-party delegation to visit Gujarat

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Congress president Sonia Gandhi urged Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday to arrange for an all-party delegation to visit the riot-affected areas of Gujarat.

In a letter to the prime minister, the leader of the opposition pointed out that at the meeting convened by Vajpayee on March 1, the opposition parties had requested that such a delegation be sent to assess the situation in the state.

She contended that at another meeting with opposition leaders held on Monday, "the need for such a delegation to go to Gujarat was expressed strongly and unanimously".

"I am therefore writing to again urge you to kindly arrange for the all-party delegation to visit the affected areas of Gujarat at the earliest," Gandhi said. "I am sure you would like to give priority to this matter in view of the urgency and gravity of the situation."

The opposition parties reiterated their view that the Gujarat government had "failed abjectly" to discharge its duty of maintaining law and order and demanded that it take all steps "to immediately curb such incidents and deploy the army effectively and adequately all over the state".

"The government must also take responsibility to see that no further loss of life takes place," the parties underscored.

Calling upon the Centre "not to abdicate its responsibility", the opposition leaders said, "It is the bounden duty of the central government to provide protection to the people of Gujarat."

They demanded that relief camps with adequate security be immediately opened in all disturbed areas in the state.

They also appealed to the people to maintain communal harmony, "which alone can provide national integration".

They emphasized that the people should not be provoked "by the instigation provided by the policies and actions of obscurantist forces masquerading as political parties".

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