Singh reiterates invite to ultras

Asking the people of the North-east to put rancour and historical grievances in the past and respond to his offer of a new deal for the region, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said power could only flow from the ballot box, not from the barrel of the gun and therefore, asked, militants once again to come to the negotiating table.

Speaking at the diamond jubilee celebration of The Shillong Times in Guwahati, Singh said "there is no issue, no grievance that is so intractable that it cannot be resolved through a patient, constructive dialogue, free from pre-condition".

The Prime Minister said "this is the only possible way forward. Our democratic system is open enough, resilient enough and flexible enough to welcome the participation of all shades of opinion"

He acknowledged that the problem was not just with the north-eastern states but also India's eastern neighbours, possibly referring to Bangladesh. "My prayer is, peace, development and integration with our eastern neighbours," he said.

Observing that this vision could be easily translated into reality, the Prime Minister said all it would take was faith in each other, sincerity of purpose, hard work and an environment of peace, to enable transformation of this region.

"We stand on the threshold of a historic opportunity in the North-east. A new era of possibilities is round the corner, but to exploit this opening fully, we must focus on evolving new approach to the persistent and long lasting problem", he said.

Observing that though there were many grievances, which agitated the people of the north-east, he said "one could either remain mired in the morass of past rancour or move forward purposefully towards a more harmonious future".

Singh said the northeast region had not been able to take advantage of many economic opportunities over the past decades and had lagged behind the rest of the country.

The best guarantee of nation's freedom was simultaneously its greatest strength ""its objectivity and accuracy, he said.

Asking the media in this "troubled region" to maintain objectivity and committment to the interests of the region, Singh said "as long as the media is objective and true to its calling, in accurately reflecting the complexities and ground realities of our nation, no power ""constitutional or otherwise""can have courage to stifle or manipulate media."

The best guarantee of nation's freedom was simultaneously its greatest strength""its objectivity and accuracy, he said.