New Delhi [India], March 6: Abdul Majeed, the Karnataka state president of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), has strongly condemned the Modi government’s actions, describing them as part of an ongoing agenda of “hate politics.” His remarks followed the recent arrest of SDPI’s national president, MK Faizi, which Majeed criticized as an unjust attempt to stifle political dissent
Majeed accused the Modi government of misusing investigating agencies to suppress opposition to the controversial Waqf Amendment Bill. He emphasized that these tactics would not deter SDPI’s constitutional struggle, stating, “The central government is using intimidation tactics to undermine our political efforts, but such moves will not succeed in stopping us.”
The SDPI leader made it clear that despite the government’s actions, the party would continue to fight legally and constitutionally. “As a political party, we maintain full transparency in our affairs and cooperate with investigating agencies,” Majeed added.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been conducting searches at multiple locations across several states linked to the SDPI. These raids, which include locations in Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, are part of an ongoing investigation into the party’s activities.
This latest round of raids comes days after the ED arrested MK Faizi on March 3 at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The ED has stated that the SDPI is heavily reliant on the banned outfit, Popular Front of India (PFI), for its operations, policy decisions, and electoral strategies. According to the ED, the SDPI functions as a political front for PFI, and Faizi has been its national president since 2018.
The ED also noted that the raids are part of an ongoing investigation, and Faizi was remanded to six days of custody by a special court in Delhi. The SDPI, founded in 2009, has had a significant presence in several Indian states, and similar raids targeting both SDPI and PFI offices were conducted in 2022, leading to several arrests.