Chief Ministers of Orissa and Karnataka Naveen Patnaik and B S Yeddyurappa and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi were among those present at the day long meeting.

The Prime Minister appeared to be doing a balancing act by referring to the recent ethnic violence in Assam along with the attack on Christians in the NDA-ruled Karnataka and Orissa but made it clear that "the process of governance needs to be strengthened and the rule of law maintained, but in a manner that brings hope and succour to the poor and needy".

Against demands from UPA for imposition of President's rule in Orissa and a ban on Hindu outfit Bajrang Dal and VHP, Singh said those who threaten communal harmony, integrity and peaceful coexistence deserved very deterrent punishment.

"In doing so, we need to be bound by the framework of our Constitution and the political democratic process that enables us to reconcile differences through dialogue. We should not be provoked to suspend or subvert a democratic process in the search for solutions," he said.