Taking a cautious stance on the Centre’s decision to ban the Popular Front of India (PFI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] State Secretary M.V. Govindan has said that no ideology can be eliminated by a ban. The Central Committee of the CPI(M) will clarify the party’s stand on banning the PFI, he told media here on Wednesday.
He reiterated the party’s stance that the ban would not solve any problem, and clarified that banning only one organisation against communalism will not help.
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Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday had declared the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its front organisations as “unlawful association” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). In an extraordinary gazette notification, MHA deemed the PFI a threat to national security, and pointed out the organisation’s links to terrorist activities, fund raising, weapons training, and attracting youths from minority groups to join terrorist movements.
The front organisations banned include Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCH). RO), National Women's Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation, and Rehab Foundation, Kerala.
