Nagpur: China has been trying to foment trouble by indoctrinating Naxal ideology especially in youths in several parts of the country for the last sixty years. Threat the country faces from radical elements could be countered only by undertaking developmental projects and providing employment to the youths, said Shirish Thorat, a security expert from the United States, on Sunday.
Born and brought up in Nagpur, Thorat was here for the release of his latest book ‘Ticket to Syria’.
Addressing a ‘Meet the press’ programme, Thorat said the Naxalism has spread its tentacles from three to 23 states in India over a period of time solely due to the vested interest China has to create turbulence.
Commenting on the nefarious activities of Naxalites in Gadchiroli district, he said, “The misguided youths could be brought into mainstream by taking concrete steps for sustainable development and creation of jobs. These factors could wean away the young minds from falling prey to the Naxal ideology. It is a war between ideologies and should be fought on that basis as there are limitations in using military power.”
Thorat claimed the ideology of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) started taking roots in Kerala with many youngsters joining the extremist group. But the number of youths from India joining ISIS is very less compared to other countries, he added. According to estimates, only 100 people from India joined the jihadis.
“Most of the ISIS militants are Muslims who are influenced by Wahabi Islam. However, India is one of the secured countries in the world as the faith of people in democracy is intact,” he added.
Replying to a question on Ghazwa-e-Hind, he said, “Muslims have been trying to rule the Indian subcontinent for the last 450 years, but they can never succeed.”
