ED note makes PFI link to AAP, Cong; poll gimmick, say parties
ED’S INTERNAL INVESTIGATION NOTE SAID THAT ₹120.5 CRORE WAS CREDITED IN 73 BANK ACCOUNTS MAINTAINED BY POPULAR FRONT INDIA
NEW DELHI: : The Popular Front India (PFI), a controversial outfit blamed for violent demonstrations against a new citizenship law in several parts of the country, is in contact with leaders of Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress and also has links with protests at Shaheen Bagh, an investigation note by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged on Thursday, triggering a fresh political tussle in the national capital with the AAP and Congress calling it a political gimmick just two days ahead of the assembly polls.
The note, accessed by HT, claimed that the group has its national headquarters at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, where a large amount of money has been deposited for its activities and which has emerged as the epicentre of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA. “It is shameful that the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] has reduced investigative agencies into political tools,” Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said. Responding to allegations against AAP’S Sanjay Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member, Kejriwal dared the BJP to arrest and jail Singh for 20 years if there is any evidence. Shaheen Bagh has figured prominently in a bitter campaign for the February 8 elections. The BJP has made it a focal point to hit out at the AAP government and the Congress, who, it says, support the protesters. While AAP has accused the BJP of using a communally charged and divisive rhetoric, a shooting incident near the protest site and claims and counterclaims over the gunman’s affiliation have further vitiated the campaign.
ED’S internal investigation note said that ₹120.5 crore was credited in 73 bank accounts maintained by PFI, an entity related to it and certain other individuals. Majority of the credits was in “cash”. It did not, however, specify the dates for the deposits. “In the past several months, out of the donations received by PFI, more than half was received in cash. Out of the cash donations, two-thirds were deposited in bank accounts whereas one-third was kept in PFI’S National Headquarters office situated at G-78 Shaheen Bagh, Delhi,” the ED note said. The note said Mohammad Parwez Ahmed, PFI’S Delhi president, and other members of the outfit have been seen with anticaa protesters at Shaheen Bagh. It alleged that Ahmed is in touch with AAP’S Singh and several Congress leaders, including Udit Raj, who quit the BJP ahead of last year’s Lok Sabha polls.
“Where is the evidence? This clearly false information being spread ahead of the elections. First, the BJP used the Delhi Police to suggest links between the person who fired at Jamia protesters and the AAP. Now, they are using the ED against us ahead of polls,” Singh, who held a 30-minute meeting with Kejriwal on Thursday afternoon, said.
The squabble came a day after the Election Commission took a strong view of the Delhi Police’s revealing what it said was details of the investigation into the shooting incident at Shaheen Bagh last week. Deputy commissioner of police Rajesh Deo has been barred him from election duty for linking Kapil Gujjar, the 23-year-old shooter, to the AAP. Later, two videos on the social media appeared to show Gujjar’s father saying he was never a part of the AAP and admired Prime Minister Narendra Modi. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
Congress’s Raj said that he has spoken to a few organisers of the Shaheen Bagh protests, pointing out that it does not mean he is funding or organising any protest. “Does speaking to someone prove anything? I have no connection in organising any protests and I have not funded anything,” he said.
Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra brushed off the allegations as “diversionary tactics” ahead of the polls. “This is all a way to defame our party and our leaders. If they have any proof, let them produce it.”
PFI secretary Anis Ahmed said: “We deny the allegations that PFI has funded Shaheen Bagh protests. Our Shaheen Bagh HQ is operating since 2013, and we share [details of] all our finances with the government every year.” The Union home ministry is considering recommendations by the UP and Assam governments to ban PFI over its alleged role in the protests that turned deadly in these two states. Several members have been arrested or booked for violence; more than hundred such arrests have been made in UP. Cases have also been registered in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Rajasthan.
On January 27, ED, in a note submitted to the home ministry, said that payments were made from PFI’S account to Congress leader Kapil Sibal and advocates Indira Jaising and Dushyant Dave. All three denied receiving funds in relation to the protests.