In a clear message to terrorists, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Monday declared that power in India flows from the ballot box and not a gun's barrel.

Speaking at the diamond jubilee celebration of  The Shillong Times in Guwahati, Dr Singh, who is on a three-day visit to the northeast, said: "There is no issue, no grievance that is so intractable that it cannot be resolved through a patient, constructive dialogue, free from pre-conditions."

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The prime minister said: "This is the only possible way forward. Our democratic system is open enough, resilient enough and flexible enough to welcome the participation of all shades of opinion."

Maintaining that his government is committed to evolving a new agenda of hope for the mortheast, the prime minister said: "Our doors are always open to all groups who are committed to the economic uplift and social and political empowerment of the region.

"The future of the northeast could be, my prayer is, will be one of peace, development and integration with our eastern neighbours," he said.

Observing that this vision could be easily translated into reality, the prime minister said all it takes is faith in each other, sincerity of purpose, hard work and an environment of peace, to enable transformation of this region.

Dr Singh said the northeast has not been able to take advantage of many economic opportunities over the past decades
and has lagged behind the rest of the country.  This, he said, is not only because of the under-developed connectivity of the region but also connectivity that better media coverage implies.

"Let us acknowledge to ourselves the truth that there is inadequate sustained coverage of this region in the national media. This is why I appeal to all media, national as well as regional, to focus on the task of improving national connectivity through wider and deeper coverage of every part of the country," he said.

"We stand on the threshold of a historic opportunity in the northeast. A new era of possibilities is round the corner, but to exploit this opening fully, we must focus on evolving new approach to the persistent and long lasting problem," he said.