Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan today said religious extremism in the state gained the present form with the formation of Muslim radical outfit National Development Front (NDF) in 1993 which later became PFI, now under scanner for the chopping off the hand of a college lecturer.

In a statement here, Balakrishnan said the PFI, its politcal wing Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and various feeder outfits in its network had become a big threat to communal harmony by organising it activities in the name of Islam, whose true message was that of peace.

Besides the attack on college lecturer T J Joseph in Muvvattupuzha, the PFI had been involved in 22 murder cases and 73 attempt to murder cases so far, he said.

The 'Freedom Parades" organised by PFI since 2004 was part of its psychological war against its adversaries by show of strength.So, this could not be seen as a "celebration of freedom" on the Independence day, he said.

Now an inter-state network, the PFI was formed through merger of NDF in Kerala, Manitha Neethi Pasare in Tamil Nadu and Forum for Dignity in Karnataka in 2007. The PFI was registered in Karnataka and later launched SDPI as a political arm.

As many as 20 frontal outfits had been organised under it in various sectors like education, humanrights, environment protection, women forum and lawyers forum.

Balakrishnan alleged the outfit gained strengthened due to the appeasement policy of the Congress-led UDF Government which was in power the 1990s and later in 2001-06.

The ideals propagated by its literature clearly stated that nothing less than a religion-based state was its ulitmate goal.

It was a big irony that this outfit was trying create hatred in the society in the name of a faith which set peace as its main objective, Balakrishnan said.