Restoring peace in Nadigram should be the priority:Cong

New Delhi, Mar 14 (UNI) Expressing deep concern over the killing of six people in police firing at Nandigram in West Bengal, the Congress today said that the need of the hour was to take steps to restore calm.

''Whatever is needed to restore calm should be done,'' Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

He told mediapersons here that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had expressed deep concern over the incident and advised the state Congress unit to prepare a full report and send it to the AICC.

Ms Gandhi, he said, had also advised the party leadership to render all possible support to the injured and to send details of those who had been killed.

Earlier, senior Congress leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs P R Dasmunsi refused to comment on the incident saying it was the state unit of the Congress that would comment on it.

However, he denied the Congress was a party to provocation that led to police firing in Nandigram.

Mr Dasmunsi said he was in touch with the West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharji, Chief Secretary and Home Minister.

He rejected the CPI-M allegation that the Congress was colluding with Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Nandigram and said the ''Congress was not a party to violence''.

''If this is the allegation of the CPI-M, the state Congress shall respond,'' he said, adding ''without getting adequate information from the state unit, I cannot comment''.

The state Congress is seized of the matter and they will react,'' Mr Dasmunsi said.

UNI