Chennai(Tamil Nadu): Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi alleged on Friday said that the Popular Front of India(PFI) is a dangerous organization that has many 'masks' and 16 fronts with an aim to destabilize the country from within. It has a students' wing and also takes the form of a political party.
India and its armed forces and security establishment are fully capable of dealing with the terror organization. The Modi government has a zero-tolerance policy toward violence. However, the PFI could not be reached immediately for its comments. Addressing a book release event here, The Lurking Hydra: South Asia’s Terror Travail, authored by late Lt. Gen. Subroto Mitra, at M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women, he said, "after detailing the success of the Centre's zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and insurgency since 2014, spoke on domestic threats."
While the nation is moving forward with a strategic vision to take India towards world leadership, there would be 'next' problems as there are adversaries, he said. Such adversaries would create problems from within and it would essentially be 'civil unrest' by creating instability and disturbing social harmony.
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The Governor said and named PFI a "very very dangerous organization", which has more than 16 fronts. He also used the word 'Hydra' while referring to the terror organization, as in ancient Greek mythology is a creature that comes back to life again despite its head being cut off. PFI is at the forefront of sending 'fighters' to countries such as Afghanistan and Syria, he alleged. "Today, unfortunately, there are some political parties also who are now supporting them for their political interests. This is a threat that we need to be very very careful about."
Ravi said the nation including the north-eastern parts is witnessing a peaceful environment as a result of such determined action and clarity. Narrating the terrorist attack on the Parliament in 2001 and the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he said in less than a year following the attack on the financial capital of the country, the then national leadership (Congress-led UPA) issued a kind of a joint statement with Pakistan saying both India and Pakistan were victims of terrorism.
After Pulwama happened, the armed forces hit them back right in the 'belly', (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir), and similarly, when 14 soldiers were killed in Manipur, terrorists were chased deep inside Myanmar and neutralized in a surgical strike. "Terrorism is no longer a low-cost option. If you do it, you will get it and the message has gone well," he said adding in view of such a resolute policy of zero tolerance against terrorism in the nation.
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Citing successful operations by the armed forces, he said "the north-eastern regions of the country today are absolutely peaceful and everyone was talking about peace and development. However, a decade ago, the scenario in the northeast was not the same," he said. On Article 370, he said it was an 'unnecessary' Constitutional provision that served as a source of all kinds of problems in Jammu and Kashmir and it was abolished in 2019.
Also, there was a 'surgical strike' not only on the land, a reference to attacks on terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Further, a similar strike was also done vis-a-vis the 'politico-administrative arrangement' in Jammu and Kashmir. As a result of all such initiatives 'today, this year' Kashmir has witnessed a never seen before the arrival of tourists, he said.
(With Agency inputs)
