This time it’s a fight between patriots and anti-nationals

The
BJP in Kerala said on Tuesday that the 15th Lok Sabha election was
being fought between patriots and anti-nationals. That the UDF and the
LDF had decided on the candidates for the election with the help of
Islamist outfits NDF and PDP respectively was proof of this, State BJP
general secretary MT Ramesh said in Kannur.

“Any front winning
the elections in Kerala will be doing so with the help of the NDF or
the PDP, both of which were the local versions of Lashkar-e-Tayyeba and
Indian Mujahiddeen,” Ramesh said.

He pointed out that one of
the methods adopted by the extremist organisations was infiltration.
Their aim was to command influence on the public life by intervening in
the democratic process through the route of political fronts, he said.

Ramesh
asked State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala, who had earlier
publicly demanded a ban on the NDF (Popular Front of India) in he name
of extremist operations, whether he stood held that opinion.

“The
UDF position in the context of the elections is that the NDF does not
have a terror face. If that is the case, the KPCC chief should make
clear whether he will accept the help of Lashkar-e-Tayyeba if it
pledges its support,” the BJP leader said. Home Minister Kodiyeri
Balakrishnan should clarify if he had received details of the list of
Kerala-based terror groups which was reportedly been handed over to the
State by the Centre, Ramesh said.

Apprehending widespread poll
rigging in north Kerala, Ramesh said his party would ask the Election
Commission to deploy Central forces in Kasaragod, Kannur and Vadakara
Lok Sabha constituencies to ensure free and fair polls.

In the
meantime, BJP national vice-president Venkiah Naiud said at Kattappana
that Abdul Nasser Madani’s PDP was indeed a reincarnation of the
terrorist organisation Islamic Sevak Snagh, which Madani had dissolved
in 1992. “The BJP will ensure closure of the PDP company if it came to
power,” Naidu said.

He said all extremist operations in the
country would be stopped within 100 days if the BJP came to power.
Parliament attack accused Afsal Guru would be hanged, he said while
speaking at a campaign meet of Sreenagari Rajan, the BJP’s candidate in
Idukki.

Venkiah complained that the Hindus in the country were
being perpetually neglected. “Hindutwa is a culture and not a religion.
Hindustan is India. Everybody says Jai Hind without considerations for
politics, religion or caste,” he said, adding that was what BJP was
keeping in mind when it spoke about nationalism.

Now the CPI(M)
was forging friendship with those Muslims who had helped partition of
the country once, Naidu alleged. “The Congress and the CPI(M) were
quarreling against each other in daylight and having friendship in the
dark of the night. Those who are making war call against each other in
Kerala walk hand in hand in Delhi,” Naidu said.

Senior BJP
leader O Rajagopal said the recent statements of Defence Minister AK
Antony that the Congress would support only a Government led by
Manmohan Singh tacitly implied the Third Front had become irrelevant.

Speaking
to reporters at Kochi, Rajagopal said, “With Antony’s assertion on the
matter, it was clear the Third Front, a dream front, would not form a
Government at the Centre.” He said if the Third Front wanted to come to
power at the Centre, it should be supported either by the UPA or the
NDA.

Referring to CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat’s
recent statement that the communal forces (BJP) would not be allowed to
come to power, Rajagopal said it only meant that the Left Parties were
willing to back the Congress and pull them back to power. He said it
also showed the UDF and LDF in the State were A and B teams of the UPA,
which would come together in the Centre.

Regarding the
kickbacks in the India-Israel Missile Deal, Rajagopal said Antony’s
statement on the issue that the missiles were purchased to combat
militancy and terrorism was unacceptable. He alleged that Antony was
very late in reacting to the issue after it was splashed on the
national media casting aspersions on the deal. Rajagopal said the
scandal was the biggest in the country at around Rs 900 crore, much
bigger than the Rs 64-crore Bofors scandal.