Tackle terror but without bias: Sonia

Congress president Sonia Gandhi [ Images ] on Tuesday called for tough measures to tackle terrorism but maintained that no community should feel like it was under siege or as an automatic target of suspicion.

In a clear reference to complaints that the Muslim community was being targeted in the wake of the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai [ Images ], she told a Congress Parliamentary Party meeting that the Centre should enable each state to have a fully equipped, properly-trained and highly-motivated anti-terrorism force.

"Anti-social and anti-national elements will have to be clearly identified and dealt with firmly," Sonia said, adding that effective police action devoid of any type of bias or political pressure was essential.

The Congress president, however, asserted that there could be no compromise on internal security.