While condemning the huge crackdown by NIA and ED on Popular Front of India and arrests of its top leaders, VCK chief and Tamil Nadu MP Thol Thirumavalavan called the actions of central agencies “hate against minorities” and “anti-democratic.”
Popular Front of India and SDPI are the movements openly operated in a democratic way, said the vocal Dalit leader. Though the main leadership and cadres of these organisations Popular Front of India and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) belonging to Muslims, the organisations have been working for the welfare of all marginalised communities, MP said.
Since the day BJP came to power, the Hindu nationalist party has been trying to alienate these two movements, labelling them “terrorist groups.”
According to Thirumavalavan, BJP government wants to suppress the alternative political movements.
“Hundreds have been arrested in the recent raids. Such actions are not only against Muslims but against all democratic powers,” he said.
The MP and his party appealed the government to abandon this kind of minority hate politics.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Thursday arrested at least 100 leaders of Popular Front of India and eminent Muslim figures as part of the searches conducted at the PFI’s offices and houses of state and district level leaders across 11 states.
According to news agency PTI, the NIA officials termed the searches “largest-ever investigation process till date”.
Arrests were made from Andhra Pradesh (5), Assam (9), Delhi (3), Karnataka (20), Kerala (25), Madhya Pradesh (4), Maharashtra (20), Puducherry (3), Rajasthan (2), Tamil Nadu (10) and Uttar Pradesh (8).
