The Indian National Congress has equated the Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) with the Hindu nationalist group Bajrang Dal, in its manifesto for the upcoming May 10 assembly elections in Karnataka. The manifesto states that Congress is committed to banning organizations that promote “enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities.” It promises to take “firm and decisive action” against individuals and groups spreading hatred based on caste or religion and will ban such organizations as PFI or Bajrang Dal. The Congress party also pledged to repeal all “unjust laws and other anti-people laws” within one year of coming to power, which were passed by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state.
The Congress party has also reiterated five guarantees: Gruha Jyothi, which promises 200 units of free electricity to all; Gruha Lakshmi, which promises INR 2,000 per month to every woman head of the family; Anna Bhagya, which promises 10 kg of food grains of their choice to every person in a Below Poverty Line family; Yuva Nidhi, which promises INR 3,000 every month for two years to unemployed graduates and INR 1,500 as an allowance for unemployed diploma holders; and Shakti, which promises free travel to all women throughout the state in regular KSRTC/BMTC buses. The Congress party also added a sixth guarantee, stating that all promises will be implemented in the first cabinet meeting on the first day of government formation.
The manifesto was released in the presence of former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President DK Shivakumar, and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera. Earlier, in April, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that each vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will protect the state from PFI.
In September 2020, the center banned PFI under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, citing that the organization and its affiliates were indulging in unlawful activities that were “prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty, and security of the country” and had the potential to disturb public peace and communal harmony. Several criminal activities and brutal murders have been committed by PFI members in the past to create a reign of terror in the public mind, the Home Ministry said.
The Karnataka assembly polls will be held on May 10, and the counting of votes will take place on May 13.
