By IANS,
Pune : President Pratibha Patil Sunday made a fervent plea to political parties and the people to stand united to face the challenge of global terrorism, which showed its ugly face in Mumbai last month.
Readily obliging waiting mediapersons with an interaction after addressing National Defence Academy (NDA) officers and cadets at Khadakwasla near here, the president said it was natural for the people to be angry with the political establishment after the NOv 26 terror strike.
“It is, however, imperative for the people and the political parties to sink their differences and join hands to combat terrorism, which is not a problem limited to one country but a global challenge,” she said.
The spontaneous departure from the protocol – the president does not normally address the press, formally or otherwise – came when two TV news channel reporters beckoned the president to stop while she was leaving the NDA premises after her speech and speak to them in Marathi.
In her speech at the NDA’s diamond jubilee function, the president praised the police and the security forces for bravely fighting the terrorists and saving the lives of people risking their own.