New Delhi: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday welcomed the Union government's decision to ban the Popular Front of India (PFI) for its alleged terror activities, and said the move sends a message to all "anti-national groups" that they will not survive in this country. He said all that is necessary would be done to stop PFI's activities in the state.
"For a long time, it has been a demand by the people of this country, by all political parties including the opposition CPI, CPI(M) and the Congress. PFI is the avatar (incarnation) of SIMI (banned Students' Islamic Movement of India), and KFD (Karnataka Forum for Dignity). They were involved in anti-national activities and violence," Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said they had their command outside the country and some of their important office-bearers had even gone across the border for the training. The PFI was involved in all sorts of anti-social activities and time had come to ban this organisation, Bommai added.
"With a lot of background work, information, and cases, the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah has taken the right decision. This is the message for all anti-national groups that they will not survive in this country. I also urge people not to associate with such organisations," he added. To a question that PFI was strong in coastal Karnataka and the task before the state government to remove them, the Chief Minister said, "Whatever necessary, will be done."
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed the Centre's decision to ban the Popular Front of India (PFI) for their alleged terror activities and said the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is bold and decisive. "The government is firm in its resolve to ensure that anyone with a diabolical, divisive, or disruptive design against India shall be dealt with iron fist," the chief minister wrote on Twitter. "India of Modi Era is decisive and bold, he added. Sarma had earlier said that his government was consistently asking the Centre to outlaw the organisation for allegedly creating an eco-system for terror activities.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, "The PFI and its allied organisations were found to be involved in serious crimes. The organisation recently became active in terror funding, murders, insulting the Constitution, disturbing the social harmony and unity of the country. It has also surfaced that the organisation was planning something serious in Maharashtra as well." "The plans of anti-social elements to undertake anti-national activities and divide the society will never succeed, he added.
Shinde's deputy Fadnavis said that there is enough evidence with the government and probe agencies that the PFI was sowing seeds of violence. "Spreading rumours, raising funds and triggering violence was their aim," he said. "A fake video of a mosque being demolished in a north eastern state was circulated with an intention to trigger violence. We have seen such an incident in Amravati in the past. It later came to light that the video was from Bangladesh," he added.
Former minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "Amity and security of the country are our strength. This strength is what troubles anti-India forces. These forces had made religion a protective shield and were plotting a conspiracy against the amity and security of the country. It is unfortunate that some political parties and some people associated with various governments were giving protection to such forces. Such people are seen standing with such forces now."
