Assam violence brought out worrying faultlines: PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said that the recent violence in Assam and its reverberations in other parts have brought out "worrying faultlines" which implies social peace and harmony cannot be taken for granted.

He also said that the media should avoid the desire to be sensational though it is very tempting some times.

"Today our country is going through difficult times. The unfortunate incidents of the past few months have brought out worrying faultlines in our society", he said at the golden jubilee celebrations of Kerala Union of Working Journalists, in Kochi.

Singh said the tragic developments in Assam and their reverberations in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and other places (which saw exodus of north-easterners over safety fears) have shown that "We cannot afford to take social peace and harmony for granted".

He emphasised the need to be constantly vigilant and work continously towards promoting greater communal harmony and inter-group and inter-community dialogue.

Observing that the media has a very important role to play in the task, he said its reporting and opinions should be fair, objective and balanced.

"The desire to be sensational should be avoided even though it is very tempting sometimes. Restraint should be exercised so that nothing that divides our society and country is written, broadcast or telecast", he said, adding conscious efforts should be made to build bridges between communities and religions.