India News | PFI a Dangerous Outfit, Alleges TN Governor

Chennai, May 6 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Friday alleged that the Popular Front of India is a dangerous organisation that has many 'masks' with an aim to destabilise the country from within.

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The nation, its armed forces and security establishment is fully capable of dealing with them and the PFI is being dealt with through a clear vision and strategy of zero tolerance towards terror, he said.

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The PFI could not be reached immediately for its comments.

Addressing a book release event here, Ravi, 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 try to create problems from within and it would essentially be 'civil unrest' by creating instability and disturbing social harmony.

"And here currently," the Governor said and named the Popular Front of India as a "very very dangerous organisation", which has more than 16 fronts. He also used the word 'Hydra' while referring to it.

Hydra in ancient Greek mythology is a creature that comes back to life again despite its head being cut off.

Ravi said the organisation wears several masks including those related to human rights. It has a students' wing as well and also takes the form of a political party, he said.

Essentially, the PFI's whole aim is to destabilise this country from within, he alleged. They are at the forefront of sending 'fighters' to countries such as Afghanistan and Syria and all of them were PFI people, he alleged.

"Today, unfortunately, there are some political parties also who are now supporting them for their political vested interests. This is a threat that we need to be very very careful about."

"The country is capable of dealing with them. If they try to distract the attention of the government they are mistaken and they would be disappointed," he said.

The nation, its armed and security forces are capable of dealing with them. The nation has dealt with them all these years and now "we are dealing with them with a clear vision and clear strategy of zero tolerance and making it far more expensive and costly for those who perpetrate acts of terror," he said.

Ravi, released the book, "The Lurking Hydra: South Asia's Terror Travail", authored by late Lieutenant General Subroto Mitra at a college here. He hailed the late army officer as a highly accomplished, decorated and intellectual soldier for his initiatives, outstanding scholarly work.

Giving his perspective of the resolute steps being taken by the central government since 2014 on the security front in trouble prone regions of the country, he 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 neutralised 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 the nation has been witnessing peace for the past several years.

Citing successful operations by the armed forces, he said the north-eastern regions of the country today is absolutely peaceful and everyone was talking about peace and development.

However, a decade ago, the scenario in the north-east of the country was not the same, he said. In a year, about 2,000 people and about 300-400 security personnel (jawans and officers) were killed, Ravi said, adding that the Centre is firm on its policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and there is no question of talks with those who pursue the path of terror.

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 arrival of tourists, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)