The fervour with which, both the CPM led LDF and the Congress led UDF courted the jehadi outfits like the PDP, NDF, Jamaat-e-Islami, INL, Kanthapuram Musaliar, etc. for gaining the Muslim votes, has converted the State of Kerala into a volcano waiting to anytime. Close on the heals of the seizure of 800 gelatine sticks stored at the cloak room of the Kerala State Roadways in Kozhikode and the two bomb blasts near the Kozhikode bus stand, came the discovery of highly explosive bombs under the private bus seat and the bombs placed in a plastic cover in a hospital ward, both in Kozhikode.
Earlier Kozhikode, adjoining Marad and Beypore were witness to the mass murder of eight Hindu fishermen and blasting of huge fishing boat by jehadi terrorists. Moreover spates of anonymous bomb hoaxes are keeping the police, bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs on their toes. The jehadis want to tire out the security forces and then strike when they start ignoring such calls.
The IB, RAW and Military Intelligence have warned off heightened ISI sponsored terrorist activities in north Kerala. The General Officer Commanding of the Army'ssouth zone has also warned off Islamic extremist activities in north Kerala. Now the centre and central intelligence have for the first time in the history of Kerala, warned off the Pak-based Hizbul Mujahideen threat to the State during or after the polls.
Now in an apparent shift in strategy, the jehadis are expanding operations down south, especially in the Thrissur district, which has several Islamic strongholds like Chavakad, Vadanapally, Kodungallur etc. Four arms haul have been unearthed in Thrissur district during the last week of April. About 1,275 kgms of gelatine sticks and 4,500 electronic detonators were seized from a truck near Ollur in Thrissur when it met with an accident. The arms haul was near a helipad, where Sonia Gandhi was to arrive the following day for campaigning. Next came the seizure of 100 gelatine sticks, 100 electronic detonator, 1,000 detonators and 400 metres of fusewire from a private bus in Thrissur. Third was the accidental haul of 28,500 detonators, 317 cartridges and 300 metres of fusewire from an abandoned shed. Last was the discovery of 10 country made bombs, concealed in a bucket at an isolated place near Thottipalam in Thrissur district
While on the one hand the CPM is honeymooning with all jehadi outfits to win the polls, on the other it is stockpiling bombs to attack the Muslims in Nadapuram, which was the scene of CPM-Muslim clashes. A stored bomb went off accidentally in a CPM Panchayat member'shouse (Sarala Gopalan) at Kuttiyadi near Nadapuram, destroying it completely. A huge haul of powerful country made bombs were seized from a private bus in Nadapuram. Meanwhile a son of a CPM leader suffered injuries when a steel pipe bomb stored in the house went off accidentally in Nadapuram.
The hobnobbing of the CPM and the Congress with the jehadi outfits and their supply of explosives for use against political opponents, especially RSS and BJP is creating dangerous consequences for the State. Probes into various terrorist activities by jehadis are being scuttled by the ruling Muslim League. A future CPM regime will be no better since it is courting jehadis like Madani with open arms. Top police, Army and IAS officials belonging to Kerala and having served in Jammu and Kashmir say that ruthless and tough actions and political will is needed to crush terrorism, otherwise it will be too late and Kerala may become another Jammu and Kashmir which is what the jehadis want. Will the Congress and the CPM wake up to the threat of jehadi terrorism and act strongly or will they soft-pedal for petty vote-bank politics? Perhaps only time will tell.
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