Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai has asked his party leaders and cadre to maintain vigil and stay safe over the course of the next three months as the speculative ban of the Popular Front of India (PFI) might lead to retaliation against the party.
In an audio clip of his conference call with party cadre doing the rounds on social media, he is heard saying members, especially in places like Coimbatore, Kanniyakumari and Vellore, to stay safe and not travel alone anywhere for a few months.
“Looking at the pattern of past killings, cadre in these places, who are aggressive about Hindutva, could be soft or even hard targets. So take precautions and do not travel alone anywhere. Mandal leaders must ensure that karyakartas in their areas are safe. If PFI is banned, there is a possibility that there could be some effect in Tamil Nadu since we are close by, he said.
Mr. Annamalai said not even a single BJP cadre’s life should be lost, and that the party, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, was taking all possible steps. “In the past too, when there were such bans, there was immediate emergency blowback,” he claimed.
He said party cadre should not take this lightly as such groups show their presence by a random killings and create communal unrest and blame it on the Indian government attributing it to the ban.
“So, identify the Hindutva faces in your areas and immediately send a list to me. We are only doing this as a precautionary step. The ban might not even happen, but we need to be cautious,” Mr. Annamalai added.
