Indian officials clash on terrorism causes

NEW DELHI, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi have publicly voiced dissenting views on what leads to terrorism.

The sharply differing views by Singh and Modi became public during statements made at the Indian Chief Ministers Conference on Internal Security. The riff stems from Singh's belief that extremism is spawned from lack of development, whereas Modi says terrorism is not nourished because of economic poverty. He argued that prosperous states are also affected by it, Sify reported.

"A large proportion of recruits to extremist groups come from deprived or marginalized backgrounds or from regions which some how seem unaffected by the vibrant growth in many parts of the country," Singh said in a statement.

"I notice that in many cases, internal security problems arise out of uneven development and we also need to address this issue if we are to make any long-term headway in combating extremist elements."

Singh said that extreme ideologies stemming from development shortfalls result in a lack of prospects, while Modi believes "terrorism is a problem of an ideology and attitude towards life of intolerance," Modi said.