The radical Islamic organization Popular Front of India (PFI) has heaped praises on the Congress party after the Chhattisgarh government approached the Supreme Court demanding the declaration of NIA Act of 2008 as unconstitutional. Ironically, the law that the Congress government in the state seeks to be declared unconstitutional was passed by the Congress-led UPA government in 2008.
In a statement issued by PFI, they said that PFI national general secretary M Mohammed Ali Jinnah welcomed the Chhatisgarh government’s decision and urged the other non-BJP governments to approach the Supreme Court as well. Jinnah said that the law was against the “spirit of federalism”. Another government that received great compliments from the PFI was Pinarayi Vijayan’s government in Kerala.
The statement said, “Kerala has set a good example by officially approaching the apex court against the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act. As a state where there are many instances of the misuse of the NIA Act and UAPA, Kerala state government can be in the forefront to follow the example of the Chhattisgarh government and challenge both the laws.”
The statement concluded with the words, “Taking the seriousness of the situation into account, Popular Front appeals other non-BJP state governments to align themselves with Chhattisgarh in raising this demand and to save constitution and federal character of the country.”
The National Investigation Agency Act 2008 conferred powers to the Central Government to form the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to combat terror in India. The agency acts as the Central Counter-Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency and is empowered to deal with terror-related crimes across states without special permission from the states.
The involvement of PFI was suspected in the recent anti-CAA riots across the country. Three people associated with the radical Islamic organization, including UP state head Waseem, have been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police for orchestrating violence by spreading misinformation through social media platforms. Intelligence agencies had also reported that PFI and SIMI were behind the violence during the anti-CAA protests.