Thiruvananthapuram: Under attack from
Opposition and Muslim organisations, Chief Minister V S
Achuthanandan today stood by his remarks that radical group
PFI was aiming at `Islamisation of Kerala` and found support
from his bete noir and state CPI-M secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.
Achuthanandan told the state Assembly that he stood by
his remarks made in Delhi on Saturday and said his intention
was to expose the "subversive activities" of Popular Front of
India (PFI) and his statement was based on evidence recovered
by police during the probe into the recent chopping off of the
hand of lecturer T J Joseph.
He flayed attempts to `misinterpret` his remarks as
aimed at the entire Muslim community and said "We (CPI-M) are
firm in opposing Sangh Parivar groups like RSS and Bajrang
Dal. Could anybody interpret it as an attack on Hinduism or
the entire Hindu community?"
In a Taliban-style attack, suspected PFI activists had
chopped off Joseph`s hand on July 4 for preparing a question
paper with alleged derogatory references to Prophet Mohammad.
Thirteen PFI activists have been arrested so far in connection
with the attack.
Achuthanandan said contents of the pamphlets seized
during the raids on PFI offices were "highly communal" and
posed a challenge to the democratic set-up with some of their
literature even advocating rejection of democracy holding that
"Islam and democracy" are two opposite ideologies.
Always at loggerheads with Achuthanandan, Vijayan
extended a rare support to his arch-rival and accused the
Indian Union Muslim League of misleading the people by seeking
to generalise the comment.
Speaking at a function in Kozhikode, Vijayan said "How
will a comment against PFI affect Kerala Muslims. Such a stand
is not correct," he said.
Vijayan blamed the League for the rise of PFI in the
state and alleged the Front had converted some of the places
of worship into a storehouse for illegal arms.
Achuthanandan has attracted the ire of Congress and
Muslim groups for his comments on PFI who dubbed the statement
as "dangerous" and meant to "insulting the entire community."
Congress-led UDF leaders alleged that Achuthanandan`s
remarks was part of a CPI-M strategy to play "Hindu card" in
the forthcoming civic and assembly polls to regain its lost
base and demanded its withdrawal.
-PTI
