Opinion | How PFI is trying to spread hate and venom among Indian Muslims
Three days ago, the Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh Police arrested two ‘commanders’ of PFI (People’s Front of India), a radical Muslim outfit. The two had come by train and were arrested at a tourist spot in Kukrail on Tuesday leading to the seizure of 16 high explosives, battery detonator, wire, one pistol and 7 cartridges. Twelve railway tickets were also seized and police suspect that they had visited several places in UP to carry out serial blasts on the occasion of Basant Panchami celebrations.
Initially, I was a bit skeptical about the police version about the PFI activists planning to set up training hideouts in UP, but when I watched a video of Anees Ahmed, general secretary of PFI, that was telecast on Thursday night in my show ‘Aaj Ki Baat’, it seems as if the UP police has only touched the tip of an iceberg. There are forces who want to spread tension between Hindus and Muslims through hate speeches. These forces are desperately trying to halt India’s progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi by instigating communal riots.
In the video of his speech at a “Unity March For The Nation” rally in Ullal, near Mangaluru in Karnataka, Anees Ahmed said, “Earlier anti-CAA activists were targeted, now the farmers are being targeted. The message is clear: if you want to survive in India, you’ll have to live as slave of this government. There is no talk of sabka sath, sabka vishwas. This government is giving you a single agenda: whether you are afraid of the RSS or not? If you become a sycophant of RSS, you’ll get the Governor’s seat, you’ll get a seat in Parliament like Ranjan Gogoi (former Chief Justice of India who delivered the Ayodhya verdict), those Congress leaders who got Muslim votes and have joined BJP will get ministers’ seats, and if you oppose the BJP, then you’ll be booked under UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act), you’ll be hounded by ED and NIA. My question to all those sitting here: Will you surrender to the threats of RSS and BJP?” (the crowd shouts No).
The PFI leader then tried to instigate Muslims in his speech. He said: “The Muslim community is still alive in India. So many things have been said about Muslims, they are backward and illiterate according to the Sachar Committee, but remember, this Muslim community has a capacity too. Allama Iqbal has written, “tauheed ki amaanat, seenon me hain hamare, aasan nahin mitana, namoniishan hamara” (we have the faith of Allah in our hearts, it is not easy to obliterate us). Today, the Muslim community will have to take the lead to give a reply to RSS which is trying to tear the Indian social fabric. Popular Front is taking the lead, and we see, every day, Popular Front is being targeted. There were anti-CAA protests in Delhi, Popular Front was targeted, Muslims were killed in Delhi riots, but cases were filed against Popular Front. Even the ED is hounding PFI.”
Anees Ahmed then launched into a tirade against UP police. He said: “Two activists of Popular Front were arrested by UP police on February 11, but they were not produced before the media till Feb 16. When we filed a missing police complaint in Kerala, the UP police brought them before the media at a press conference and alleged that they had been sent to carry out blasts, they were moving around with explosives to carry out terror strikes. What is the meaning of all this? Popular Front will now be targeted every day with new allegations. I want to tell Popular Front workers sitting here, be ready, you will soon be slapped with UAPA and cases by ED and NIA. You will be booked under sedition law and National Security Act. Do not expect the pracharaks of RSS sitting in Delhi to show mercy towards you. For them, Muslims, Christians and Communists are enemies. The country is being run two such ideologically trained individuals. Do not have any hope from them. The only expectation you have is: you will be targeted every day. Today, efforts being made to subjugate the entire Muslim community, to make them slaves, only Popular Front can give power to the Muslims.”
I know, most of the Indian Muslims will never believe in such hate speeches by leaders who are trying to run their own political shops. These leaders, who spread hate and venom, do not have the welfare of Muslim community in mind. Their only aim is to create a wedge between the Hindus and Muslims by spreading fear and hatred. They do not speak the language of love, they do not want Hindus and Muslims to hug one another and live in peace. They want people from both communities to lunge at one another’s throats, by making speeches, sometimes naming the RSS or sometimes creating a bugbear out of Modi.
Look what the PFI leader said about RSS. Anees Ahmed said: “The real enemy of India is, without doubt, the RSS. Covid and polio came in India and went away, but RSS is a cancer, a virus for which no vaccine has come till now. Inshallah, Popular Front will bring that vaccine (applause from crowd). We will bring that vaccine, because we know what is RSS. Today I want to tell everyone, always try to find out who is your district RSS leader, who is your local Boudhik Pramukh, who is the Sharirik Pramukh of RSS in your district. They are the real enemies. Injustice takes place in front of our eyes, and it is not in the DNA of Popular Front to strike a compromise. It is in the DNA of Popular Front, to catch hold of that hand that is causing atrocities, and throw it away.”
Every patriotic Indian needs to hear, watch and understand what Anees Ahmed is saying in his hate speeches. One must raise questions about him. Such leaders follow a uniform pattern in most of their poisonous speeches. They exploit every opportunity to inflame communal feelings. At a time when people across India are donating generously for building Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Anees Ahmed is telling his followers not to donate a single paisa for this cause.
He said: “I want to tell all Muslim businessmen and shopkeepers not to donate a single paise for the temple. This is not a Ram Temple, it is an RSS temple. Muslims must not contribute a single rupee to build this temple.”
The words of hate in his speech are self-explanatory. At a time when comments are being posted on social media about Muslims in India facing atrocities, about critics of government facing false cases, it is not difficult to comprehend after watching Anees Ahmed’s speeches, who are trying to create disturbances in India. Till last year, PFI had been carrying out its activities from behind closed doors, but now, it has come out in the open. Despite the arrests of two PFI activists with explosives in UP, its role in financing Shaheen Bagh protests in December 2019, and its role in fomenting communal riots in Delhi in February last year, the leaders of PFI never gave convincing replies.
The PFI is treading a dangerous path, but I have full faith in the Indian Muslims, who do not take such hate speeches seriously. They avoid falling in the trap of such leaders. I still remember the farewell speech of Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in Rajya Sabha, when he said, he was proud to be an Indian Muslims. He had said, if there is any country where Muslims are living peacefully and safely, it is India.
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