Voicing concern over the challenge posed by proponents of extremist ideologies through intimidation and terror, Prime Minister on Tuesday called for effective steps to tackle this grave menace. Dr Manmohan Singh said the growth of extremist ideologies is threatening civilised existence. He said the proponents of such ideologies are challenging the tenets of democracy by resorting to intimidation, terror and other manifestations of intolerance. Dr Singh said this while inaugurating a Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth in New Delhi on Tuesday morning. <br/><br/>He said one should not and cannot give any quarter to such forces and all should look at ways and means by which such forces can be eliminated without undermining the democratic foundations. He said this will require sustained international effort and cooperation and expressed the hope that the deliberations at the conference will give new insights to tackle this grave menace. <br/><br/>Dr Singh also spoke about the growing number of regional and sub-regional parties in the country and a concomitant rise in coalition politics. This, he said, is the manifestation of deepening of democratic representation with more and more sections of the electorate gaining a political voice. <br/><br/>The Prime Minister said, the task of running Parliament smoothly, giving due representation and voice to all sections has become more complex and challenging. Noting that throughout the world, there is a generational shift in politics as in business and other fields, he said, in India 70 per cent of the population is below the age of 35 and they are voting in large numbers and government must act to meet their expectations. Without referring to the long pending women's reservation bill, he said that it is also imperative that women are given a more meaningful voice in political and developmentalprocesses.<br/><br/>In her welcome address, the Speaker Mrs Meira Kumar said, India is the largest working democracy in the world and its Parliament has acquired pre-eminence in the political system. She said, Indian Parliament has been playing a pivotal role in promoting the ideals of democracy, human dignity and tolerance as enshrined in our Constitution.<br/><br/>This is the third time the conference is being hosted by Indian Parliament, the earlier two being in 1971 and 1986. Three issues that would be discussed at the five-day conference are the Speaker's role as a mediator, the use of technology in the Parliamentary context and the role of Speaker in the administration of Parliament. The Conference being attended by 50 Speakers and Presiding Officers of 42 Parliaments in Commonwealth countries, including Pakistan. 34 Speakers and Presiding officers of state legislatures in the country are also participating.Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is Chairperson of the Conference.