Sonia, Patil visit Malegaon

Asking people to maintain communal harmony, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who met the blasts' injured in hospitals in Dehradun on Saturday, said the "acts were aimed at creating a divide in the society".

"I came here to see the damage caused... and above all to meet the people and give my condolences to them. The most important thing at this juncture is to maintain communal harmony," Gandhi told reporters.

"These acts are aimed at creating a divide. The best thing is to live together," she told a press conference during which compensation cheques of Rs 1 lakh, announced by the Maharashtra government, were handed over to the families of the deceased.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, accompanying Gandhi, said, "On behalf of the whole country I express my condolences. I appreciate all religions which maintain peace and calm during this hour of crisis."

Patil said, "nothing can compensate for a person's life" and added that he has asked the Maharashtra government to hand over relief cheques to the injured immediately.

Earlier, Gandhi, alongwith Patil, visited one of the blast sites.