The political tactics of the Congress party which include gambling with the national security and minority appeasement are well known now. The party also has played a major role in assisting the banned radical Islamic terrorist organization, Popular Front of India (PFI) to spread its network across the nation. The Modi-led government banned the PFI in September 2022. The organization has made all the plans to make India an Islamic nation by the year 2047 when the country would complete 100 years of its independence.
Now, the Congress party wants to impose a ban on Hindu organizations like Bajrang Dal. The Congress party in its manifesto released ahead of the Karnataka Assembly Elections, clearly mentioned that it wanted to outlaw groups like PFI and Bajrang Dal. It stated that it is dedicated to taking a resolute and unwavering stance against people and groups who ‘incite enmity among communities on the basis of caste and religion’.
Notably, the Congress happened to compare the Bajrang Dal with the PFI which has time and again been involved in anti-India activities. However, to date ‘Bajrang Dal’ has neither been named in any anti-national activity nor has it done anything against national security. The organization works to provide security to Hindus and raises its voices against the suffering of Hindus. In such a situation, promising to ban ‘Bajrang Dal’ on the very birthplace of Bajrang Bali describes the anti-Hindu mentality of the Congress party.
The Congress while in power at the Centre had also tried to create a divide in the Hindu religion by trying to give recognition to the Lingayat community as a separate religion. The Lingayat community worships Lord Shiva. It has always been the endeavour of the Congress party to weaken the Hindus and polarize the anti-Hindu votes in their favour by doing Muslim appeasement.
Congress had withdrawn cases filed on 1600 PFI members
The PFI was given a huge opportunity to grow in the state of Karnataka when the Congress was in power. The Congress remained in power in the state from May 2013 to May 2018 when Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister. Further, the party continued to remain in the power for next year as HD Kumaraswamy of JDS became the Chief Minister. The Congress was part of the ruling coalition then. In these six years, the PFI grabbed the massive opportunity to spread its network in the state. Also, in the year 2015, Siddaramaiah’s government in Karnataka decided to withdraw all the cases against 1600 PFI terrorists.
The decision taken by Congress was dangerous. The NIA officials during the raids on the PFI, recovered weapons, anti-national literature, guns, and what not but Congress then withdrew all the cases against 1600 PFI terrorists. This was not a case of short-sightedness but of deliberate appeasement and gambling with the country’s security for votes. Today, by comparing this organization with ‘Bajrang Dal’, Congress is doing the same thing while it is in opposition.
Apart from PFI, cases were also withdrawn against the members of ‘The Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD)’. Both these organizations were born out of SIMI, which was formed in April 1977 in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. It was a terrorist organization, whose people later formed ‘Indian Mujahideen’. The organization’s name appeared in bomb blasts from Jaipur, Allahabad, Delhi, Pune, Patna and Bodh Gaya to Hyderabad. Several SIMI members became part of PFI after it was banned.
As far as KFD is concerned, its name has cropped up in incidents ranging from communal riots in Mysore to the IISC Bangalore firing. This organization was directly accused of killing two students in a college in Mysore. These incidents are said to have happened before the formation of Siddaramaiah’s government in the state. TB Jayachandra, who was than Law Minister of Karnataka, defended the decision to withdraw the case, saying that they were peaceful people who had gathered only to protest, but their names were unnecessarily put in the charge sheet.
Without any investigation, the Minister declared that the accused were part of the mob and that they had no hand in the violence. Then the BJP opposed the decision to withdraw 175 cases out of 1600 PFI workers, saying that all this is being done at the cost of the country’s security. The party had alleged that the allegations against these organizations were being ignored, which would further increase communal tension in the state. The allegations and charges against the members were not minor but included riots in several areas including Mysore and Shivamogga.
In October 2022, the BJP again started a campaign to remind the public of this decision, stating that the Congress government had taken this decision against the opinion of the then DGP and Secretary of the Law Department. Congress general secretary Venugopal then gave a statement that there is no question of banning PFI. The decision was taken after Congress MLA Tanveer Sait wrote a letter to the government demanding the withdrawal of the cases.
‘Deal’ with PFI, problem with ‘Bajrang Dal’: Congress’ Jihadi mentality
The Congress had also struck a secret deal with the PFI and its student wing SDPI on several seats, under which they did not field candidates against the Congress in the 2018 assembly elections. Compared to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, PFI was spreading rapidly in Karnataka and it had also made a hitlist for killing big faces of Hindu religion. RSS leaders were their target. An entire community hall in Puttur was converted into an arms warehouse, which was also seized by the NIA later in the raids.
The Congress party which until yesterday used to deal with PFI and protect its members from the law, today is associating its name with PFI to defame ‘Bajrang Dal’. VHP has termed it as the Jihadi mentality of the party. Rahul Gandhi also had earlier said that Hindu organizations are more dangerous than the terrorists who had launched an attack on Mumbai in 2008. His party leader Digvijay Singh had termed the Mumbai attack as a conspiracy of the RSS.
This shows how deeply the Congress has sunk into its anti-Hindu mentality. The makers of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ are being compared to those who are engaged in the task of keeping society safe from Islamic fundamentalist ideology. PFI was spread in 17 states and the entire credit of this goes to the jihadi mentality of the Congress. The Congress, which calls ‘Bajrang Dal’ a terrorist organization without proof, should speak over the facts. It has been repeatedly been showing through such tactics that it is Rahul Gandhi’s party anyway.