By T Satisan from Kochi
With the knife in their jaws the infamous Popular Front leaders are replicating what Lashkar-e-Toiba has done in Pakistan by launching Jammat-ud-Dawaa
Whether leaders of Popular Front of India (PFI) admit or not, their activities, ideologies and modus operandi are not much different from IS. The political climate, social environment and democratic system Bharat does possess may not be congenial to the execution of the hidden agenda of the PFI. Of course, these parameters are skies and seas away from those of Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan hence PFI’s smooth operations might be facing hurdles.
PFI’s roots date back to the formation of Students’ Islamic Movement of India in 1977 in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. It was the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH). Its endeavour was to rejuvenate Students Islamic Organisation (SIO). Its slogan “Allah is our Lord, the Quran is our Constitution, Muhammed is our leader, Jihad is our way and Shahadat is our desire”, was considered to be the five pillars of Islam. The organisation was found more and more militant and fundamentalist and had connection with the communal riots and Hindu-Muslim clashes of the 1980s and 1990s. It maintained that secularism, democracy and nationalism, the basic tenets of the country’s Constitution, were not acceptable to them. Their aim is to re-establish the Islamic supremacy through the revival of Khilafat and insistence on the Muslim ummah and jihad. SIMI clashed with the police and the VHP workers in protest against the Ayodhya demolition.
The organisation was first banned on September 27, 2001, immediately after the September 11 attack in the US. The second ban was in September, 2003. The third ban was clamped on February 2, 2006, and it still continues. Several cases were charged against the members of SIMI during these periods, all were in connection with the violence and communal activities, most of them under TADA, MCOCA and UAPA.
The other day a prominent PFI leader admitted during a TV debate that 20 men of its leadership are former SIMI men!
Given the ideologies, activities and aims, PFI is viewed as the natural successor of SIMI. It was launched in 2006 by the merging of National Development Front (NDF), Maitha Neethi Pasari, Karnataka Forum For Dignity and some other organizations. It is self-styled as a neo-social movement aiming at the empowerment of the people for achieving justice, freedom and security. They do have National Women’s Front as the women’s wing and Campus Front of India as the students’ wing. It co-operates with the National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations and other human rights bodies. Human rights activities and co-operation with the human rights activists are effective camouflage for several extremists organizations and Maoist activities in Kerala these days. PFI campaigned for reservations for Muslims and conducted protests against UAPA. That PFI has been accused of various anti-social and anti-national activities including connections with various Islamic terrorist groups, possessing arms, kidnapping, murder, intimidation, hate campaigns, rioting, Love Jihad and various religious extremism, etc. vindicates the statement that their human rights activities are camouflages.
Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) is the political wing of PFI. SDPI carries out the political campaign for PFI. They project the causes of PFI on the political front, especially when PFI comes under fire from several quarters including police.
The chopping of the hand of Prof. T.J. Joseph in connection with the setting of a controversial question paper for the college students, allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammed, was one of the worst crime PFI is accused of. The infamous Panayikkulam Conspiracy case (a place near Kochi) is being alleged to be a SIMI and JIH activity. But the people believe that PFI has something to do with it. NIA court convicted 5 and acquitted 11. Two of the convicts were already in the jail for their involvement in the Ahmedabad serial blast case. The secret meeting was held on August 15, 2006, during the LDF regime led by Chief Minister and veteran CPM leader V.S. Achuthanandan. There are allegations that the men participated in this meeting and camp were involved in the blast cases in Bangalore and Jaipur.
Another extremist activity in Kerala was a secret arms training camp held in Wagamon near Moonnar, in December, 2007, again during LDF regime.
In 2012, during the regime of Congress-led UDF government headed by veteran Congress leader Oommen Chandy, the Government of Kerala had submitted an affidavit before the Kerala High Court stating that activities of PFI were inimical to the safety of the country and that is “nothing but a resurrection of the banned outfit SIMI in another form”. It was the government’s argument to ban the PFI’s Freedom Parade. The high court upheld the ban imposed by the state. In July 2010, Kerala Police had unearthed country bombs, weapons and CDs and documents containing Taliban and Al-Queda propaganda from PFI men.
In April 2013, Kerala Police raided and seized weapons, foreign currency, human shooting targets, bombs, raw materials for bomb making, gunpowder, swords, etc. from the PFI centres. They exposed what PFI is. PFI’s pro-Palestine attitude was revealed when the outfit conducted nationwide campaigns called “I am Gaza”.
There are serious allegations against PFI in connection with the NIA raid in Kanakamala, Kannur, the CPM bastion in the state. Eight people were nabbed there. Their links with IS are under suspicion. They are charged under UAPA. The suspects had conspired to kill two high court judges of the Kerala high court and run a vehicle into a Jamaat-e-Islami meeting in Kochi. NIA states that Subhani Haji Moideen, one of the accused, had reached Iraq in 2015, underwent military training and then joined IS.
A PFI march in military uniform in Kasaragod in February, 2012 raised a great amount of controversy in the whole country. It was a grave violation of the rule of the land. The news about the PFI links with the exit of 21 people from Kerala to join IS last year was a rude shock to the Keralites.
RSS and RSS-inspired organizations raise clear cut allegations against PFI. They are sure that ABVP workers Vishal and Ashwinikumar and RSS workers Kilimanoor Sunilkumar and Vipin of Thanoor were killed by PFI workers. Vipin murder is the only political killing case in Kerala where a woman is involved. Shahida is the wife of Abdul Latheef, the first accused in the Vipin murder case. Apparently, PFI uses this arrest to blame CPM in the election campaigns in connection with the Vengara by-election to the Kerala assembly. They allege, women are not safe under LDF rule led by CPM.
Hindu Aikyavdi leader R.V. Babu told this weekly, Kerala Police’s intelligence chief B.S. Mohammed Yasin had reported that the department’s “Operation Pigeon” could counsel 350 youths against joining IS. All districts except Pathanamthitta had reported the activities “recruiters”. Kannur, the epic centre of CPM activities, toped with 118 names. Then comes Malappuram with 89 and Kasaragod with 66. This finding itself reveals the grave Islamic terrorism the state is infested with. Here is the relevance of RSS Sarsanghchalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat’s Vijayadashami speech stating that the Government of Kerala supports anti-national forces and violence. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, as expected, came out to criticize the Sarsanghchalak for tarnishing the image of the state. BJP leaders and RSS Pranth Karyavah Gopalankutti Master shot back that the criticism of the government policies is not against the people or the state.
It is a glaring fact that in Kerala both Congress and CPM and their alliance partners always support the fundamentalists. That is why PFI and other Islamic fundamentalist groups make use of the situation and develop the base of terrorism and its ideology. Kerala government’s inordinate readiness to facilitate Abdul Nasr Madani’s bail from the Bangalooru jail is an incident of the recent past.
In Kerala, both LDF and UDF compete for each other to provide maximum advantage to the fundamentalists. Madani has praised both Fronts for the soft line they undertake towards him. The Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous resolution for the early release of Madani from Coimbatore jail where he was confined in connection with the infamous Coimbatore blast case. Leaders of both CPM and Congress used to visit Madani in the jail.
The people of the state is grateful to BJP for its Jana Raksha Yathra which exposes both Fronts. The Yathra in intended to expose both Red Jihad and Islamic fundamentalism.
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Mysterious Fanatics
CPI member, well-known political observer and channel debater Adv. A. Jayashankar said that Popular Front of India originated from National Development Front (NDF). SDPI is a political wing of PFI. NDF and PFI got cadres from PDP led by Abdul Nasser Madani when he was jailed in connection with the Coimbatore blast case. The significant aspect of NDF and PFI is that they do not have popular leaders. The people who appear to be the leaders are not necessarily the real leaders. Their cadres have joined CPM and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in Kerala. The idea is to ensure the support of mainstream political groups. Some are CPM men during the day time and PFI at night. Since they are well trained cadres, they do get excellent acceptance in CPM. And, CPM utilises this to get rid of the impression of a Hindu party it carries. And, it helps them to weaken IUML. At the same time PFI men get necessary inside information from CPM. The major set back PFI suffered was due to the chopping of Prof. Joseph’s hand.
The PFI and NDF cadres, despite being poor traditionally, turn well-to-do once they become part and parcel of the movement. The source of funds is a mystery. Perhaps it could be the result of their involvement in gold smuggling. In short there are two important highlights of PFI: Firstly, the secretive and the mysterious nature of the organisation and its leaders. Secondly, it is fanatic and terroristic.
-As told to T Satisan
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Islam needs Reformation
Reformist groups come from among the Muslim society and their introspection is a healthy sign
Students Islamic Movement (SIMI), founded in 1977 had been banned by the GOI on February 8, 2006. It was first banned in 2001 in the wake of the September 11 Attack in the US. The SIMI got public attention in the light of its venomous campaign – “India’s Liberation through Islam” in the 1990s. They believed in the Islamisation of and Islamic rule in the whole world. Popular Front of India (PFI) was formed when SIMI faced the third ban in 2006. Its ideologies do not appear to be different from those of SIMI. In other words, it promotes Islamic fundamentalism among the believers. These sorts of fundamentalism are not acceptable to a modern society. PFI leaders are bound to answer two questions: (1) If Quran is burnt will it injure Allah? (2) Are the recent terror attacks in Brussels and Paris the retaliation to RSS?
Those who do not have the audacity to ask these questions publicly do not deserve to be called socialists. In India, blasphemy was not a crime. But, UPA (read Sonia) amended IPC Section 153A and made blasphemy a cognisable offence. Formerly a complaint was necessary before taking legal action in this regard.
Hindus were not sensitive to blasphemy. Hindus started to protest after tolerating MF Hussein’s objectionable painting for several decades. They were fed up with their pitiable status of being “at the receiving end always” for several years. Indian communists are not reading Karl Marx’s words that invaders were Hinduised in India and they underwent reforms.
If somebody says that ‘if you do not believe like me, you invite divine wrath’, he will say in the next breath that ‘you believe as I do otherwise I will kill you’. This is fundamentalism.
Fortunately, reformist groups like New Age Islam come up from among the Muslim society. They believe that they themselves are responsible for the isolation they are pushed into. Their self-introspection is a good sign. If these kinds of movements develop, the PFI and those sorts will have no place among Muslims.
(The writer is a senior journalist based in Kochi, Kerala)
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SFI follows Pak footsteps
Last week, Pakistan got exposed in the UN when Pakistan’s permanent representative Maleeha Lodhi misguided the world by displaying the picture of a Palestinian woman camouflaging it as a Kashmiri victim of the pellet attacks by Bharat’s army. The students’ wing of CPM, SFI once again proved whom they are loyal to. The same fake picture is used by SFI to misguide the people. The poster is pasted in connection with the valedictory programme of their state march which was to be inaugurated by Prakash Karat.
— T Satisan, Kerala
Spreading Tentacles
Is Popular Front of India an anti-social political party and it deserves to be banned? Yes, according to Karnataka BJP leaders. Speaking to Organiser, BJP spokesperson and minority leader Anwar Manippady said, Popular Front of India and various other associated organisations are mobilising innocent Muslim youth and brain washing them to act against our own country. “Instigating Muslims and Daliths seems to be the agenda of PFI. They are spreading their wings in Mangaluru, Mysuru and Bengaluru. It is high time we have curbed their unlawful activities,” said Anwar Manippady.
According to BJP leaders, notorious people from banned organisation The students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) are taking shelters in PFI, SDPI and other extremist orgnaisations.
They do not want our country to prosper and their only mission is to destroy our heritage, culture and social harmony, said Anil Chalageri, BJP Bengaluru District Election Management and Convener at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Anil Chalageri said, “Karnataka police have given clear report to Government that PFI and SDPI activists are responsible for killings of RSS and BJP workers like Prashant Poojari, Kuttappa, Rudresh and others. But Government is not taking any action against them due to vote bank politics. It is a pity that both Kerala Government and Karnataka Government are protecting such extremist organsations.”
—R Guruprasad, Bengaluru
Courtesy: Organiser
