At a time when appeasement politics and anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh are turning out to be the nemesis of the Kejriwal led AAP, the party seems to have fallen into greater trouble even as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has revealed that the anti-CAA protests including the Shaheen Bagh protests are being funded by the Popular Front of India (PFI) and AAP and Congress leaders were in touch with the PFI chief.
The probe agencies are investigating the sources of funding that were allegedly used to fuel the anti-CAA agitations across the country and have submitted a sealed cover report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The documents accessed by Times Now have further disclosed that Rs. 120 crores were deposited in 73 bank accounts of 15 banks related to the PFI, a Kerala based Islamist organisation and the Rehab India Foundation. Rs. 1.05 crores out of the total amount was deposited in the bank accounts of PFI. Interestingly, one-third of this amount was kept at its Shaheen Bagh headquarters.
The latest ED report corroborates earlier reports by intelligence reports from agencies under Ministry of Home Affairs, which had pointed out that Islamic fundamentalist organisations like Popular Front of India (PFI) and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) were involved in the violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
In Delhi, anti CAA violence had broken out in Seelampur and Jamia Nagar. The AAP had drawn fire as one of its MLAs, Amanatullah Khan was spotted at the anti CAA violent protests. Then, the party also gave an election ticket to Abdul Rehman, who was booked over violence in Delhi’s Seelampur against the CAA. The party’s murky role in anti CAA violence has been in limelight for the past one month.
Moreover, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia had also recently declared support for the Shaheen Bagh protests. Now, the ED report comes as damning evidence against the party.
The ED also further affirms how the PFI, an affiliate of the banned terror outfit SIMI, continues to enjoy political patronage. PFI itself holds the dubious distinction of its cadres joining global terror organisations like the Islamic State. But this hasn’t stopped political parties from patronising the Islamist outfit.
The CPI(M) government in Kerala has been accused of allowing the PFI to foster in the state by closing its eyes towards the activities of the Islamist organisation. What further corroborates how the PFI has thrived in political patronage is the fact that even the former Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari had attended an event in Kozhikode, Kerala, which was co-organised by the National Women’s Front (NWF), the women’s wing of the Popular Front of India (PFI).
Even after the Chhattisgarh government challenged the NIA Act before the Supreme Court in a move intended to bring the very existence of the top anti-terror probe agency under threat, the PFI had congratulated the controversial step taken by the Congress government in Chhattisgarh. This had once again exposed close, objectionable links between the Congress and the PFI.
During the anti CAA violence, the PFI came under fire for orchestrating violence across the country, including in Guwahati, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. 108 PFI members have been arrested recently by UP Police for fomenting anti CAA violence.
What the ED report now reveals is how vested political interests might have been in cahoots with the PFI as far as anti CAA violence is concerned. Serious allegations of the Congress and AAP spreading rumours, and fomenting violence against the CAA were already being made. The ED report vindicates all such allegations.