THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ban on PFI has evoked mixed reactions from political parties with the CPM, Congress and Muslim League questioning its effectiveness and the BJP terming the action inevitable considering nation’s security.
CPM general secretary Mr Sitaram Yechury who was in Thiruvananthapuram, said the bans have not been useful in the past. “The RSS was banned thrice but did they stop functioning. Bans have not worked in the past as the same outfit can work with a different name,” he said.
The CPM leader attacked the Yogi brand of bulldozer politics. “When you indulge in bulldozer politics against a particular community you are creating hatred. Such actions should stop. Similarly, the violence and retaliatory killings indulged by the organisations like PFI should also end,” he said.
Congress Working Committee member Mr A.K. Antony said enforcing a ban was not a solution. The need of the hour is to put down with heavy hand the violence unleashed by such organisations. Several organisations have been banned in the past and it did not work. If any outfit, be it PFI or the RSS, if they take law into their hands, unleashes violence or indulges in killings, then they need to be dealt with an iron hand.
BJP leader and union minister V. Muraleedharan welcomed the Centre’s decision to ban the PFI. “Drawing a parallel between PFI and RSS is nothing but fake secularism. PFI was banned taking into consideration the national security concerns,” he said.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader P.K. Kunhalikutty said organisations like the PFI should be dealt with ideologically. “PFI has caused huge harm to the minority community in the country. In fact, they are fanning majority communalism and that’s why we have been opposing them,” he said.
