ED notices ill-motivated move at behest of BJP govt, says PFI

After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned seven office bearers of the Popular Front of India, the organisation termed it an "ill-motivated" move at the behest of the BJP-led Central government.

"We believe that the notices issued by the Enforcement Directorate in New Delhi today (January 28) naming the office bearers of Popular Front of India and requiring them to appear for giving evidence as part of their investigation is an ill-motivated move at the behest of the RSS controlled BJP government. It is only the latest in the series of ongoing attempts to suppress our organisation," read a statement issued by the Central Secretariat of Popular Front of India.

"We are sure that all sensible and honest citizens and groups in India will see it only as political vendetta because of our consistent stand and resolute fights against the evil designs of RSS and BJP," the statement added.

It went on to mention that once the government started realising the strength of nationwide protests against the "anti-people" CAA, NRC and NPR which is getting intensified day by day as the voice of the nation, they are "playing all dirty games to destroy or at least weaken the movement".

"The Central and State governments controlled by RSS are making Popular Front a scapegoat in their exercise of diverting public focus from the current mass uprising that has put Hindutva agenda in trouble. In BJP ruled States violence was created, innocent Muslims, our members and supporters in particular were targeted," PFI stated.

The ways and means being adopted by authorities in the case of said notices on behalf of ED on the ground of alleged financial malpractices itself speaks about the "real agenda of BJP government", it added.

Asserting that the Popular Front India bears the heritage of fighting out the odds, all hurdles imposed upon it by Hindutva fascist forces through unfair means, the statement further read: "We could overcome such threats through democratic and legal options available to our citizens. We will resort to the same course of action in the present case also. We have full faith in the Indian constitution, the people of India, the idea of secular democratic nation and also in the ultimate victory of truth and fall of falsehood."

ED had earlier sent a note to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) mentioning that there is a direct link between the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Uttar Pradesh and the PFI.

ED's note to the Home Ministry came after an investigation into the bank accounts of PFI in some districts of western Uttar Pradesh. During the investigation, it was found that a huge amount of money was transferred to bank accounts linked to the organisation.