Kerala becoming another Kashmir, fears RSS

Pioneer News Service/ Thiruvananthapuram

Is the growing influence of fundamentalist organisations in Kerala turning the State into another Kashmir? The recent discovery of gelatin sticks at the Kozhikode bus stand, intelligence reports indicating that the coastal belt of northern Kerala is becoming a den of anti-social activities, and other reports strengthen this viewpoint

Kerala’s internal security is facing a major threat as more and more anti-social and fundamentalist organisations are taking roots in Kerala, saha pranta pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), J Nandakumar, has said.

The prime concern for Kerala is the threat to its internal security. Since the Army Chief himself has pointed to the growing influence of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaishe-e-Mohammad in Kerala, it is high time we acted, he said.

“Islamic fundamentalists are planning a show-off in Kerala, but the State Government and the CPI (M) are more interested in wooing the minority votes than curbing this menace,” Mr Nandakumar said.

“It is shameful that we have a PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kerala) in the State. Neither the Kerala police nor the intelligence agencies have been able to enter these areas till now. The authorities are neglecting the fact that the length and breadth of the ‘PoK’ strip is increasing day-by-day,” he said.

In this circumstance, the RSS is striving to make the people aware of the growing need to protect our society from the clutches of these organisations. The people have lost faith in both the LDF and UDF, as both are more interested in vote-bank politics than the security of the State. The Government is neglecting the fact that development cannot be achieved without adequate security, he said.

With this as the main motto, the Rashtraraksha Sanchalan organised by the RSS recently, covering 700 km from Bekkal Fort in Kasargod to East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram, evoked a positive response from the people who are yearning for peace and prosperity. Mr Nandakumar told The Pioneer that the march was organised with this message to society: ‘Be vigilant.”

Though the march was organised as a low-key affair, the dimension changed from the beginning with the overwhelming support from the people in various districts.

The march gave a sense of confidence to the people to be ready to face the growing menace of terrorism. The message that the mach could spread is that it is the responsibility of society to fight terrorism. An organised society, irrespective of caste and religion, should actively take part in the struggle or else we will soon face a situation where we will fail to protect our own security, Mr Nandakumar said.

The RSS, he claimed, is an organisation working in society and hence “we believe we have a great role in bringing back peace and in protecting society.”

Mr Nandakumar said the success of Rashtraraksha Sanchalan is reflected in the increase in the number of RSS shakhas (branches) by about 1,000 after the march

Over 3,900 RSS volunteers took part in the march at different stages and 136 eminent persons were honoured in various districts.

The march was held as a part of the birth centenary celebrations of Guruji Golwalkar.