By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala’s Congress-led opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) Tuesday demanded that Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan call an all party meet on terrorism in the wake of three people being held in the state for their alleged terror links.
“The situation is really grave and the prime reason for this is the soft stand that the Left government here has taken on organisations like the National Development Front (NDF) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) whose credentials are doubtful when it comes to links with terrorist activities,” front convenor P.P. Thankachen told reporters after top UDF leaders met here.
Three people have been arrested for their links to terrorist activities in Kashmir after four militants from Kerala were gunned down in the Valley last month.
Mujib, a driver by profession, was picked up last week by the newly constituted anti-terror squad but was officially arrested here Monday by the Kannur police team in joint operation with the anti-terror squad. Reports indicate that Mujib purchased train tickets for two of the militants killed in Kashmir.
Since the killings in Kashmir surfaced, the state police have been alert and according to unconfirmed reports some four dozen people, mostly youth, have been detained for suspected terror links. The NDF and the PDP have come under a cloud as some of their supporters have also reportedly been picked up by the police.
The opposition is up in arms against the Left government because in past elections – to the local bodies, the state assembly and the Lok Sabha – the Left took help from the NDF and PDP.
“It is the Left that took the support of such organisations and the Left campaigned in the 2006 assembly polls with the picture of Abdul Nasir Maudany, the PDP leader who was then in a Coimbatore jail. We have not taken the votes of either the PDP or the NDF and we do not want their votes either. The Left government should come clean and explain to the people what their links are with these two organisations,” Thankachen said.
UDF leaders at the meet said they would extend all support to the Left government in its attempts to root out anti-national activities.