Cong
takes out peace rally in Kandhamal
12 Oct 2008, 2014 hrs IST,PTI
PHULBANI(Orissa): In a bid to restore normalcy in Orissa's riot-hit
Kandhamal district, Congress on Sunday took out a peace rally here.
A large number of Congress workers, including several prominent leaders,
marched through the main roads of the town to spread the message of harmony
among the people in the strife-torn district.
As the rally passed through the town, a large number of local residents
belonging to different sections of society and communities joined the march
seeking restoration of peace in the district, which had been witnessing
violence since the killing of VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati on August
23.
They went around the town carrying placards and banners with messages for
peace and harmony, as a 'rath' moved along amidst recitation of 'Raghupati
Raghav Raja Ram'.
March for peace in Orissa's riot hit KandhamalOctober 12th, 2008 - 8:58 pm
ICT by IANS -
Bhubaneswar, Oct 12 (IANS) A peace rally was held Sunday in Orissa's riot
hit Kandhamal district where communal violence in the past six weeks left at
least 36 people dead and thousands, mostly Christians, homeless.People,
including women, marched on the streets of Phulbani town, the district
headquarter of Kandhamal, some 200 km from here, shouting slogans and
holding placards and banners seeking peace in the region.
The march was organised by the opposition Congress party.
"We appealed people to maintain peace and brotherhood, the way they were
staying united peacefully since decades," a senior state Congress leader who
participated in the rally told IANS over phone.
Prominent among those who participated in the peace march were state
congress president Jayadev Jena and senior congress legislator Tara Prasad
Bahinipati.
Earlier Friday and Saturday, the leaders of Left parties, Nationalist
Congress party, Samrudha Odissa and other opposition parties separately held
peace marches in Kandhamal.
Kandhamal has been witnessing communal violence since Aug 23 following the
murder of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)
and four others at his ashram.
Officials said no major incident of violence was reported from any part of
the district in the past 11 days although the body of an old man was found
Saturday in a field under Raikia police station area.
The body had injury marks but police are not sure if the killing was related
to the communal violence.
*Talks with non-Cong, non-communal parties for alliances on:CPM*
Kolkata, Oct 12 (PTI) The CPI(M) today said that talks were on with
non-Congress and non-communal parties for formation of alliances for the
next Lok Sabha elections.
"Talks are on with non-Congress and non-communal parties for striking
alliances for the next Lok Sabha poll. But it is difficult to say at this
stage with which party such alliance can be formed. We are trying to find
out parties in different states with whom we can work," CPI(M) politburo
member Sitaram Yechuri told reporters here.
He said that the "failure" of the Congress in fighting communalism has
called for the need to build a non-Congress secular alternative.
To a question, he said, "our struggle against communal forces was
non-compromising which will continue to remain our primary task." Yechuri
said that for the past seven weeks, violence was going on at Kandhamal in
Orissa but only now the government was convening the meeting of National
Integration Council, which will be attended tomorrow by him also.
Asked if his party was in support of the imposition of Article 356 in Orissa
in view of Kandhamal violence, Yechuri said that the demand for article 356
was not the answer.
"What are the steps the government has taken so far? We continue to oppose
the misuse of article 356. We have been demanding that the articles 355 and
356 should be suitably amended. Even if the situation warrants article 356,
the government has to tell us what is the situation," he said. PTI
