Nandigram violence should not have happened: PM

New Delhi, Mar 21 (UNI) Hours ahead of a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister for UPA and Left parties tonight, Dr Manmohan Singh said the Nandigram violence was a sad incident and should not have taken place.

''It was a very sad incident. It should not have happened,'' Dr Singh said in his first public reaction to the violence that left 14 people dead in Nandigram, West Bengal last week.

The Prime Minister was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Defence Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The issue had rocked both House of Parliament with the BJP-led NDA Opposition stalling the proceedings, demanding the resignation of Left Front Government in West Bengal.

MORE UNI