AT long last, Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan seems to have realised the grave threat Muslim fundamentalism poses to nation’s territorial integrity and democratic polity. While it is an honest admission of the grave situation that prevails in the state, the timing of the Chief Minister’s disclosure is suspected. It appears to be a belated attempt by the CPM-led Government to distance itself from the home grown jehadi elements that now pose a grave threat to the polity. Marxist-Mullah nexus is no secret. Communists are as responsible for the growth of Islamists as the Congress party whose soft policy towards terror is too well known. Addressing a press conference in the national capital the other day the Chief Minister lashed out at the Islamic fundamentalist party – Popular Front of India (PFI) for its plan to turn the state into a Muslim-majority state in the next 10 to 20 years. He didn’t stop there and added that the outfit was using money and marriage of young Muslim boys with girls from other religions to achieve this goal. Under attack from the Congress and the Muslim League, VS reiterated his stand on the floor of the State Assembly saying his assessment was based on the evidence uncovered by the police during the investigations into the recent chopping off the right hand of a college lecturer T J Joseph by PFI cadres. Jospeh’s “crime” was that he allegedly blasphemed Prophet Mohammad in a question paper he prepared. Documents seized by the police from PFI hideouts disclosed that the outfit held that Islam and democracy would never go together and that Muslims getting majority in Indian Parliament was impossible. The documents, however, boasted that nobody could prevent establishment of Islamic rule in India. What was needed was activism to promote ‘prominence of Islam”, according to this jehadi outfit. And we all know what they mean by “giving our blood” for this anti-democratic and anti-national cause.
Communist Chief Minister’s attack on Islamists is a bit surprising given the party’s track record of colluding with Muslim extremist outfits in search of votes in election after election. However, the unexpected support he received from his beta noir CPM state secretary Vijayan leaves one with the impression that the party as a unit has realised the gravity of the situation. Alarming information gathered by intelligence agencies has apparently rattled the party. The state administration is aware of the existence of Taliban type Kangaroo courts under benevolent sounding names like Dar-ul-khuda that run a parallel judicial system and deliver instant justice against dissenters and “enemies” of Islam. At least half a dozen gangs operate in the Malabar region of the state that is a known base of the banned SIMI. These outfits regularly change their names to avoid identification and monitoring by the intelligence agencies. These have fancy names like Karuna Foundation and Samskara Vadi. Media recently carried reports about seizure of incriminating documents from the offices of these outfits.
One would like to believe that the CPM has realised the horrible consequences of its political support to Islamist groups to divide the Muslim vote and would now change tracks. However, the Congress party doesn’t seem to have learnt any lesson from the tragic outcome of its hobnobbing with Muslim fundamentalists. The Congress has blamed the Chief Minister for defaming the Muslim community by his statement. This is nothing if not a cynical ploy to derail the public discourse on the crucial issue and to put hurdles in whatever action the state might have taken against the terror gangs. That the Congress is desperately trying to win back the Muslim vote bank is no secret. But does it behove the party that is ruling the country to defend and protect anti-national elements? Congress party’s sensitivity to Muslim sentiments is touching. How about its insensitivity to Hindu sentiments? What right has the party to blow out of proportion stray violent incidents to defame the Hindu society by calling it “Hindu terror”? This party led by a foreign born lady that is perceived to have links with Italian intelligence network has no qualms of conscience in hurting national interests in search of votes. Doesn’t it know that it is playing with fire?
It is important to remember that the PFI is the illegitimate child of the Students Islamic Front of India (SIMI)-the notorious terror gang that engineered several terror attacks in different parts of the country. SIMI that now stands banned is the outfit that issued a press statement to take responsibility for bomb blasts and went on to hurl provocative and vulgar attacks on Hindu society that are unprintable. It had sent its handout to countless media houses and persons, including this writer. No sane person can help his blood boiling while reading that obnoxious statement. In early 1990s, some activists of SIMI met at a secret hideout to launch what was then known as National Defence Force (NDF). Apprehending that intelligence agencies had discovered its roots, it changed its name to National Development Front (NDF). Malayalam newspapers duly reported that the NDF had grabbed 100 acres – mostly through illegal means – in the Muslim-dominated Malapuram district for its “Green City”. This zone was inaccessible to the law enforcing agencies because of the political patronage provided to the outfit by the powers that be. Media reports had persistently talked of mysterious activities in the campus but the state government chose not to take action. Four years ago, the outfit merged itself with the PFI – the jehadi outfit that has now enormous influence in the state. Its cadres-largely belonging to the banned SIMI-have infiltrated mainstream parties, including the Church supported Kerala Congress, to get political protection for their terror-related activities.
Kerala has emerged as a hot-bed of home grown terrorism. Neither the Congress nor the Marxist can escape responsibility for their soft corner towards Islamist outfits. There are countless instances of how the jehadi outfit managed to grow because of the political patronage extended to it by both the parties. There is that infamous case of how the police raided a SIMI camps in Aluva on August 15, 2006, seized incriminating material and documents and arrested several known jehadis. All the persons arrested from the camp were later released and the case went dead. Soon, a series of bomb blasts in several parts of the country, including Bangalore, Delhi and Jaipur followed. Some of those arrested in this connection revealed that the plan to undertake blasts was finalised at the said camp. Again, four jehadis from Kerala were killed by the army while trying to cross over to PoK. Neither the Union Government nor the State Government took follow up action to trace their roots. There are credible reports that Taliban-type kangaroo courts were functioning in rural areas of the state. It is believed that one such kangaroo court was involved in the case pertaining to the chopping off a hand of the Christian lecturer. State police seized several CDs from PFI cadres depicting al-Qaeda type of torture on “enemies” and dissenters. Chopping off hands, plucking of eyes, ears and noses are some of the barbarian methods adopted by the outfit.
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