Will help contain violence, but states also need to act: Rajnath

Kolkata, April 14 (IANS) Asserting there was no place for confrontation in a healthy democracy, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the centre would extend all cooperation to states to contain violence, but the latter also must take the initiative as law and order is a state subject.

"There is no place for confrontation in a healthy democracy. We need everybody's cooperation to take the nation forward.

"We need to understand the reality that political clash or political violence can in no way encroach upon the space of good governance and development," said Rajnath Singh, also a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader.

He said there can be no bigger challenge before the government than any sort of clash taking place anywhere in the country.

"If there is any sort of clash in any part of the country, I understand there can be no bigger challenge before the government," he said.

The Home Minister said the centre would extend all cooperation to the states in in containing any sort of violence.

"But the state governments will also have to take initiative, because law and order is a state subject."

On a query regarding repeated allegations from West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee government that the BJP was trying to divide people on the basis of religion, the Minister said his party wanted to run the country on the basis of justice and humanity.

"I normally don't reply to any question on caste, creed and religion. I think our BJP does not want to run the country on the basis of caste, creed and religion. We want to run the country on the basis of humanity and justice," he added.