)
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has skipped a meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) called by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to deliberate upon the measures taken to promote communal harmony, role of social networking sites in promoting national integration and ways of tackling hate propaganda.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh is also not present in the NIC meet convened in the backdrop of the communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh in which nearly 50 were killed and over 40,000 displaced.
The 148-member NIC will discuss among other issues safety and security of women, confidence- building measures taken to tackle communal disturbances and taking help from all sections of society in removing communal tension.
Union Ministers, Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, Chief Ministers of all states and Union Territories are members of the NIC.
Leaders of national and regional political parties, chairpersons of national commissions, eminent journalists, public figures and representatives of business and women's organisations are also part of NIC.
