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Amid row over slogans at PFI rally, RJD leader says ‘Pakistan Zindabad doesn't mean…'
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said sedition charges have been slapped in the case.
A senior leader of Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Sunday said raising ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans does not mean those protesting become a citizen of the neighbouring country and will move base there. He added such slogans are only a part of the protest.
Veteran leader Shivanand Tiwari made the comments in the wake a massive row in Maharashtra over a video that surfaced on social media showing "Pakistan Zindabad" slogans being allegedly raised during a protest organised by the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Pune.
“Pakistan zindabad slogans are just a part of a protest but that doesn't mean those raising such slogans become Pakistani & will go to Pakistan,” Tiwari was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Amid massive outrage in the saffron camp, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said sedition charges have been slapped in the case.
“Two different videos have come and they will be investigated, but in Maharashtra, if someone raises ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans, we will not spare them. We have registered a case under sedition charges,” Fadnavis, who is also the home minister, said.
Pune deputy commissioner of police Sagar Patil said a case has been registered at Bundgarden PS under sections covering rioting and for blocking of roads. “Probe underway pertaining to videos that went viral. Stringent action to be taken against culprits,” Patil said.
Earlier, chief minister Eknath Shinde said such slogans will not be tolerated in the state. In a tweet, Shinde said, "The police machinery will take appropriate action against them. Such slogans will not be tolerated in the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," he said.
The purported video shows the slogan was raised a couple of times when the PFI activists were being bundled into a police vehicle as part of their detention during the protest held on Friday.
The PFI had organised the protest outside the district collector office to denounce the recent nationwide crackdown on the outfit and the arrest of its activists. During the protest, around 40 protesters were detained.
Senior BJP leader and former state minister Chandrakant Patil said, "Overall, the case (against PFI) is very sensitive as far as national security is concerned and the agencies concerned are already doing their work."
Taking to Twitter, BJP MLA Nitesh Rane said those who raised pro-Pakistan slogans should remember that they will not be spared. He also demanded a ban on the PFI. "To all those shouting Pakistan Zindabad slogans in support of PFI in Pune.. Chun chun ke marenge.. Itna yaad rakana!!! #BanPfi," he said.
In a massive crackdown on the PFI, multi-agency teams, spearheaded by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had, on Thursday, arrested 106 leaders and activists of the radical Islamic outfit in near-simultaneous raids in 15 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.
Maharashtra and Karnataka accounted for 20 arrests each, followed by Tamil Nadu (10), Assam (9), Uttar Pradesh (8), Andhra Pradesh (5), Madhya Pradesh (4), Puducherry and Delhi (3 each) and Rajasthan (2). The PFI, formed in 2006, claims to strive for a neo-social movement for the empowerment of marginalised sections of India, and is often accused by agencies of promoting radical Islam.
(With inputs from agencies)
