Bengaluru: The BJP led Karnataka government is planning to ban the extreme Islamist organization, Popular Front of India (PFI), after its members tried to kill Congress leader and former minister, Anwar Sayeed, in Mysore. The PFI is under scanner for its involvement in Islamic terrorism. Recently, a CPI(M) leader from Kerala accused the organization for supporting the communist terror outfit CPI(Maoist).
The Karnataka government will first discuss about the ban and will later ask the Central government to ban the PFI and also the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (K.F. D), which is believed to have links to Islamic terrorism.
The Tourism Minister, C. T. Ravi, said that the PFI and the KFD are similar to the Taliban.
Karnataka Chief Minister, B. S. Yediyurappa, said that former Chief Minister and Congress leader, Siddaramaiah, had taken a stand that helped the accused in terror related cases.
When Siddaramaiah was in power in the state, he did not take actions against those accused of communal violence at Shivamoga and Mysore.
In 2005, Siddaramaiah had withdrawn the cases of communal violence that took place in Mysore and Hassan. Around 1000 cases against extremists organizations were withdrawn. Yediyurappa reminded that those cases that were withdrawn were filed when BJP was in power.
Siddaramaiah had himself clarified that PFI was behind the attack of the Congress leader, Anwar Sayeed. He was attacked while attacking a marriage function. The accused Farhan is a member of the PFI and this has led to the government’s decision to ban the dreaded Islamist organizations.
