M K Faizy, SDPI chief.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Thiruvananthapuram: SDPI, which is on the defensive following the arrest of its national president M K Faizy by the ED action, has alleged that the central agency's action was the outcome of the strong protest being raised by the party against the Waqf Amendment Bill.
SDPI national general secretary P Abdul Majeed Faizy said in a social media post that Faizy was the latest political opponent of the Sangh Parivar to face central agency's action. M K Faizy was arrested in a case registered two years back. Moreover, he was cooperating with the investigation. The arrest is a ploy to defame SDPI, which will be strongly resisted, he said.
With the arrest of SDPI national president in connection with a money-laundering case linked with the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), there were reports that the fresh move was part of attempts to ban SDPI too.
However, sources said that SDPI being a political party with elected representatives in various states, banning it would not be too easy.
According to SDPI, it has around 700 elected representatives in local bodies in eight states, including 103 in Kerala. In the recent local body bypoll in Kerala too SDPI won a seat at Pangode on the suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram.