KOZHIKODE: Each time a terror-related incident happens in Kerala, there is a clamour to ban the National Development Front (NDF), now the Popular Front of India (PFI). After the initial hue and cry subsides, the organisation will continue with its activities till the next incident emerges. It was the case in the Nadapuram violence (2001), the Marad massacre (2003) and the Kashmir case (2009).
The leadership of the organisation has perfected the art of deflecting the charges levelled against it. Lack of political will and the influence the PFI exerts in the corridors of power have helped the outfit tide over each crisis situation.
The NDF has its origins in the tumultuous pre-Babri Masjid demolition days. A group of activists, many of them former SIMI leaders, converged at different places in the state secretly and discussed the need for the formation of a strong Muslim outfit which could successfully thwart the designs of the Sangh Parivar.
The participants were asked to take a vow that they would never divulge the details of the meeting to anyone even if they do not wish to be a part of the proposed organisation. Many who attended the meeting in the initial stages dissociated after realising the danger. Finally, riding on the strong sentiments prevailing after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the NDF announced its formation in 1993.
The NDF leadership had learnt lessons from the fate of the ISS, formed by maverick leader Abdul Nasser Madhani.
In the beginning, the NDF leadership never went for high-profile and provocative campaign. Instead, they concentrated on silent cadrebuilding at the grassroot-level.
Physical training, including yoga, was imparted to the cadre apart from ideological study classes.
Within a few years from inception, the NDF succeeded in creating a cadre basesimilar or some times superior to that of the CPM and the RSS. Sensing the importance of political support, the NDF asked its cadre to infiltrate political parties barring the BJP. It helped them to camouflage their activities besides seeking political help during the time of crisis. The IUML was the worst affected by the infiltration of the NDF, though parties like the INL and PDP also faced trouble by the NDF presence among their cadres.