CHENNAI: Governor RN Ravi on Friday charged that the Popular Front of India is a very dangerous organisation which is trying to destabilise India.
The Governor made this charge after releasing the book 'The Lurking Hydra: South Asia’s Terror Travail' authored by Lieutenant General Subroto Mitra, here. He termed this book a scholarly work on terrorism and counter-terrorism.
“The Popular Front of India is a very very dangerous organisation and this is hydra-headed today. It has more than 16 fronts and they have masks. It will put up different masks for human rights, rehabilitation, and students and it takes a form of a political party too. Essentially, its whole aim is to destabilise this country from within. They are the ones who have been sending their fighters to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria,” the Governor said.
The Governor also said unfortunately, there are some political parties supporting them for their own political vested interests.
"This is a threat that we need to be very very careful about it. The country is capable of dealing with them. If they try to distract the attention of the government from the objectives, they are mistaken and will be disappointed. They will be dealt with. The Indian Army and security forces are capable of that," he added.
Tracing the history of terrorism in India since 1948, the Governor gave a 30-minute speech on how the country had faced terrorist activities in different parts time and again.
"Most of the terrorism that we have faced in the country is inspired, instigated and many times abated, by foreign sources. A number of countries have played this bloody game on India...The next problem we are likely to face is civil unrest. They will try to create social harmony,” he added.
"The Kashmir or in the northeast, any entity in this country uses violence as a political resource, it is an act of terrorism," the Governor said and added that after 2014, certain basic decisions were taken - zero tolerance for the use of violence as a political resource; no political negotiation with anyone who uses violence as an instrument of politics.
Within hours of the Governor's remarks, M Mohammed Sheik Ansari, State president, PFI condemned the Governor.
"Governor has echoed the voice of the RSS. Also, he has made this charge against the PFI just to divert the attention of the people about the controversy over his activities after he assumed the office. The Governor should withdraw his remarks on the PFI," he said.