Terrorist, externally-funded PFI has significant presence in T.N., Governor R.N. Ravi says in his R-Day message

Citizens must remain alert with regard to the banned Popular Front of India, as there were external forces and internal interest groups that were not comfortable with the rise of new India, Mr. Ravi said in his message

Reiterating that the Popular Front of India (PFI) was a terrorist and externally-funded organisation, which had operational links with international terrorist organisations, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has said that unfortunately, the organisation had a “significant presence” in Tamil Nadu.

While law enforcement agencies were expected to deal with the organisation sternly, citizens must remain alert in this regard and also assist the law enforcement with timely information on their presence and activities, Mr. Ravi said in his Republic Day message, the text of which was released by the Raj Bhavan on Friday.

“They [the PFI] had the audacity to demonstrate their presence with several dozen targeted bomb attacks in the wake of the Government of India banning it. The aborted major terror attack in Coimbatore further shows their continuing links with international terrorists,” Mr. Ravi said, There were external forces and internal interest groups that were not comfortable with the rise of new India, he said.

Underlining that our country’s ancient temples were our heritage and our identity, he said our temples were the fountainheads and watering holes of our culture. The Governor said the soul of a temple was spirituality, and it was the soul and source of Tamil art and culture including dance, music and songs. Some people tend to look at temples merely as pieces of art and culture, which he contended was “grossly unfair.”

“Stripped of spirituality, it is like a body without soul – a dead body. Such a forensic view of temples will lead to destruction and distortions of not only our proud heritage but also our identity and culture. We must preserve our temples in fullness of their being. In this regard observations of the UNESCO Commission set up by the Madras High Court on the maintenance of our temples and crucial directions of the court deserve urgent attention,” Mr. Ravi said.

“We must pay special attention to our brothers and sisters of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Besides affirmative actions to empower women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, we must ensure that crimes against them are meted with swift justice. The poor conviction rate in crimes against women, specially rapes of Dalit women is not acceptable. Perpetrators of crimes against women and Dalits must be met with the full force of justice,” Mr. Ravi said.

Advocating that physically disabled and autistic citizens should have equal rights to live with dignity, he said: “We must pay greater attention to their physical and psychological rehabilitation and emotional well-being.” In our march into the future, he said women’s potential must be optimally harnessed and no section of our society must remain marginalised.