NEW DELHI: There is no question of the Center trying to destabilize the Jayalalitha Government,” the Minister of State for Internal Security, Rajesh Pilotun ambiguously declared last week.

In a conversation with The Hindu, Pilot scoiched charges that the Union Government was in Teague with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eetam (LTTE) in trying to “eliminate” the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

Asked if the recent activities of the LTTE in the State have been cause for concern, Pilot said the actions of the desperados have been & source of constant worry.

“Mafia money, root cause.” Referring 10 the security scenario in the country, the Minister maintained that crores of rupees generated by the mafia underworld were the “root cause” of internal security problems being faced by the country. Once this supply of money is curbed, there will be a visible change in the situation, Pilot claimed, Apart from general underworld activity, narcotics was a major source of generation of such funds.

The Minister stressed the need to streamline the deployment of Central paramilitary forces such as the Border Security Force (BSF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and National Security Guard (NSG), The Center had suggested to individual States that they train their own security contingents under NSG supervision. In the case of internal security duties, he said, it should be the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) which should perform a “firefighting role.”

On the situation in Punjab, he said there had been a visible change. “The State Government has done a commendable job.” About the possibility of Chandigarh and other issues being sorted out, Pilot said the Rajiv Longowal accord could be the basis of action.

“Pakistan,” he warned, “would continue its efforts to make trouble not just in Punjab, but in Kashmir and other parts of the country.”

About Bodoland, Pilot said the decision to create an autonomous council was the “maximum” the Center could have done. He was hopeful that the problem had been finally sorted out that there would be lasting peace in the area,

Asked about the recent controversy on Article 370, the Minister said there was no possibility about its abrogation, He clarified on the controversy of the Army role in Kashmir that the Government was only attempting better coordination between different security agencies working in the Valley.

Article extracted from this publication >>  June 11, 1993