ED makes fresh arrest from Tamil Nadu in PFI-SDPI case
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has arrested a man from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu after fresh round of searches in a money laundering case against the SDPI, the political outfit of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), official sources said.
Wahidur Rahman Jainullabudeen was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) from Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district on Thursday, the sources said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) made the arrest after conducting searches at the house of Jainullabudeen, who has been brought to Delhi and is expected to be produced before a special PMLA court on Friday, they said.
Freah raids were launched by the ED on Thursday in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Kerala.
The federal probe agency carried out the first round of searches in the case in the first week of March and arrested M K Faizy, the national president of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI)
The ED claimed before a court while seeking Faizy's remand that there existed an "organic" relation between the two outfits and that the PFI was carrying out its criminal activities through the political party (SDPI).
The Centre banned the PFI in September 2022, calling it an unlawful association which allegedly indulged in terrorist activities.
Multi-agency searches by the ED, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and various state police forces preceded the PFI ban.
Founded in 2009, the SDPI is registered as a political party with the Election Commission of India.
Seeking Faizy's remand earlier this week, the ED told the court that the PFI and the SDPI were "organically" linked and the latter was nothing but the "political front" of the former, and was "funded and controlled" by it.
The agency claimed that it had evidence to state that there was a "deep-rooted" nexus between the two organisations as there was "overlapping" membership of their cadres, involvement of PFI office-bearers in the founding of the SDPI, and utilisation of each other's assets.
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BJP to launch protest post-Ugadi against state govt. over price hike of basic commodities: R. Ashoka
Bengaluru: Opposition leader R. Ashoka has launched a scathing attack on the Congress-led state government, warning that the BJP will intensify its protest after Ugadi, accusing the government of burdening the public with steep hikes in electricity, water, and milk prices following the presentation of the state budget.
Addressing the media in Bengaluru on Friday, Ashoka criticized Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for allegedly implementing guaranteed schemes on one hand while simultaneously raising the cost of essential commodities on the other. “The common man is suffering due to the increase in basic utility charges. The BJP will not remain silent we will begin our fight after Ugadi,” he declared.
Highlighting the plight of farmers, Ashoka said the government had failed to release the promised milk subsidy. “Farmers never demanded a milk price hike. The previous BJP government paid the arrears that the Congress had left pending. But now, the Congress is claiming to have cleared those arrears, which is false,” he claimed. He further alleged that although the government had promised to increase the milk subsidy from Rs. 5 to Rs. 7 per litre, the increase was never implemented.
Accusing Siddaramaiah of mismanaging state finances, Ashoka claimed that the Chief Minister alone was responsible for 65 percent of the state's total loan burden among all past CMs. “He has presented a budget full of misleading data. Prices are being increased like a festival gift. Even ward fees in government hospitals have gone up,” he said, branding the capital as “Expensive Bengaluru” instead of “Brand Bengaluru.”
In a stinging analogy, Ashoka said the government had “brought the state to a wheelchair” in the last 20 months. “The government is giving Rs. 2,000 and taking it back in other forms. People are being thrown from the frying pan into the fire. What face will they show to claim success after two years of such governance?” he questioned. He also accused the government of collecting 40 to 60 percent commission from contractors.
Responding to Upper House Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy’s remarks that BJP MLAs S.T. Somashekhar and Shivaram Hebbar might be expelled, Ashoka said that such decisions lie with the central leadership. “Our focus should be on fighting the Congress together. The party is like our mother no one should speak against it,” he added.
