Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Saturday that the government would not allow any international terror outfit to gain foothold in India, while saying that some misguided youth getting attracted by Islamic State (IS) ideology was a challenge.
Inaugurating the 49th Annual Conference of Directors-General of Police and Inspectors-General of Police and heads of Central Police Organisations, Mr. Singh said the IS was trying to gain a foothold in the Indian subcontinent, while the al-Qaeda had formed Qaedet-al-Jihad to target Muslims in Gujarat, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and Bangladesh and convert the Indian subcontinent into an Islamic state. These threats could not be taken lightly.
He, however, said that while such developments should be considered a challenge, the country need not worry as he had full faith in the security forces.
Referring to the gun battle in the Arnia sector in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Singh said Pakistan claimed that non-state actors were behind such incidents. “I want to ask Pakistan if its intelligence agency, ISI, is also a non-state actor?” he added.
Mr. Singh said that if the IS or the al-Qaeda were thinking that with India having a large Muslim population they would gain a foothold in the country, they were wrong as the Muslims, Hindus and people of other religions jointly fought for the country’s Independence and also sacrificed their lives.
On Left wing extremism, the Union Home Minister said the incidence of violence had reduced and the government was ready to hold talks. He suggested that the leadership be handed over to the district magistrates and the superintendents of police of the affected districts to ensure better coordination with the central forces.
